Texas HS Boys: Cinco Ranch vs. Tompkins
District play is underway in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) high school soccer season in Texas and for the next two months teams around the Lone Star State will be playing their closest rivals in a contest for a spot…
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Continue ReadingDistrict play is underway in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) high school soccer season in Texas and for the next two months teams around the Lone Star State will be playing their closest rivals in a contest for a spot in the playoffs.
Prep Soccer will be following several of the matches taking place in the Houston area and reporting on them, highlighting the Top Performers and sharing photos of the encounters. On Friday, January 19, we were in Katy, where a duel between two of the best teams in District 19, the Cinco Ranch Cougars and the Tompkins Falcons, took place.
Playing on the road, Tompkins struck first, with senior forward Roman Ryabchenko scoring with a beautiful right-footed shot. Cinco pushed forward and equalized with junior forward Santiago Saa, who finished from outside the penalty box and saw his shot deflect off a defender and go into the back of the net.
These were the players who stood out for their teams:
Tomek Rusak
Tomek Rusak
Rusak formed a solid center back duo with Ossian Elgstrom Ossian Elgstrom F TX that kept Tompkins under control for most of the match. The defender won most of the duels he was involved and displayed great leadership organizing the backline and instructing and motivating his teammates. With Cinco Ranch conceding an early goal at home, they needed to dominate possession from the start and the center back played a big role in that. Formerly a midfielder, he was on the ball a lot and always looked to progress it with vertical passes, having success in the vast majority of them.
Ronan Ochsner
Ronan Ochsner
Ochsner was very dynamic in the center of the field and played with great intensity. Even if at times he wasn’t the most consistent, the senior kept working hard and finding ways to help the Cougars. Ochsner was very active in possession, at times dropping back to get the ball from the center backs and on other occasions playing in a more advanced role, where he tried to make an impact with his dribbling. He was also important defensively, winning duels in the center of the field and recovering the ball.
Miguel Leite
Miguel Leite
Cinco Ranch dominated possession but didn’t manage to break Tompkins’ backline very often, but when they did it, Leite was involved. He started the match on the right side of the team’s frontline, but later moved to the center, where he had more success. Leite tried to play quick around the penalty box, connecting several one-touch passes to disorganize the opponents’ defensive system. He created a big opportunity to score the game-winning goal with excellent movement off-the-ball, but did’t finish well.
Alonso Basterra
Alonso Basterra
With Cinco Ranch dominating possession for most of the time, Tompkins needed a solid performance from their goalkeeper and that’s exactly what they got from Basterra. Although the backline did a very good job of protecting him, the goalkeeper was called up on a few occasions and responded well, giving a lot of confidence to the team. Basterra was solid when he had to leave the goal to collect crosses and also handled the long-distance shots Cinco Ranch attempted very well. He was very calm and effective in the final minutes, when the Cougars pushed forward looking for a game-winner.
Jacob Robisch
Jacob Robisch
Robisch was also under pressure for most of the match, but did an excellent job in leading Tompkins’ backline. He displayed great chemistry with fellow center back Tola Fasade and was always in the right spot to cover his teammates when they were beaten. Robisch, who was also very good in the air, displayed great quality in possession as well, connecting intelligent passes out of the back and even making some runs through the middle. He made a couple of critical stops in the final minutes, making a big tackle and blocking a shot that was going to the back of the net.
Roman Ryabchenko
Roman Ryabchenko
Ryabchenko was involved with almost every of Tompkins’ offensive actions in the match. He connected very well with striker Ryan Sharma and moved very smartly off the ball, getting it in good spots to make plays in the attacking third. Ryabchenko used his body very well to shield the ball, but also made some impressive moves to beat Cinco Ranch’s defenders. An excellent finisher, he scored a beautiful goal early on and had some other dangerous shots. The forward also worked hard without the ball, dropping back and helping the Falcons play defense.