TX Playoffs: Bridgeland beat The Woodlands in the area round

The playoffs continue to progress in the high school soccer season in Texas and now every day, for each team excited with their qualification for the next round, we have another one frustrated with their season coming to an end.   Prep Soccer Texas continues to follow the action closely in the Houston area and on Monday, March 24, we were present at the Berry Center, in Cypress, when the Bridgeland Bears defeated The Woodlands Highlanders 2-0 in the area round.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/03/texas-hs-boys-playoffs-bridgeland-vs-the-woodlands-photos/">Photos: Bridgeland vs. The Woodlands</a></li> </ul>   The defenses prevailed in the first half and both teams had limited chances to score. Bridgeland, who dominated possession in the initial portion of the half, had their best one when senior Samuel Bonilla got on the end of a cross, but his shot was too high. The Woodlands, who dictated the rhythm in the final part, almost scored in a long set piece after senior Patryk Jankowski headed the ball to freshman Evan Yu, who stopped on Bridgeland's junior goalkeeper Grayson Geisler. Senior Finn MacLauchlan picked up the round, but his shot hit the post.   In the second half, the Bears managed to turn their control of the game into goals. The first one came when senior Jared Cooper sent a great cross into the box and junior Daniel Duffy rose above everyone to head it into the back of the net. Bridgeland took advantage of the momentum and got another one in a transition play after senior Hayden Wingo followed up on the rebound of a shot from sophomore Patrick McHugh and won the duel with an opposing defender to send the ball into the back of the net, confirming his team's victory.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The clock runs down here as <a href="https://twitter.com/Bridgeland_FC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bridgeland_FC</a> beat <a href="https://twitter.com/TWHSMensSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TWHSMensSoccer</a> 2-0 in the area round of the playoffs. Photos and Match Report dropping soon at <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepSoccerTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepSoccerTX</a>. <a href="https://t.co/zRzHmvbVWZ">pic.twitter.com/zRzHmvbVWZ</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1904348884513501574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>   With the victory, Bridgeland improved their season record to 16-3-4 and advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals of the Conference 6A - Division 1 playoffs, where they will face the winners of the area round match between Rockwall-Heath and Waxahachie, which is going to be played on Tuesday.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    The senior midfielder came off the bench on both halves and immediately added to the team with his strong two-way game. Wingo played with great energy and helped the Bears be more dynamic in the center of the field. He worked hard off the ball, closing out the space and winning duels, and also contributed offensively. Wingo moved the ball very efficiently and was always dangerous when he stepped on the attacking half, engaging in combination plays and making smart runs off the ball on the right side. He was very intelligent to follow up the rebound on McHugh's shot and won the duel with a defender to score the team's second goal and seal Bridgeland's victory.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0035_8a4c08.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282972" /></figure>    The senior forward played an incredibly unselfish match, being very flexible and putting great effort into delivering what the team needed from him. Cooper got into some physical battles with opposing defenders into the penalty box, but also dropped back to help create plays and open space for his teammates - he was very smart when playing first-time touches that got the ball to them in good spots. Cooper moved very well in the final third and, in one of the times he drifted to the right, he sent the perfect cross that found Duffy open to score the team's first goal. The captain also displayed a great work rate off the ball, pressing The Woodlands' defenders and dropping to defend deeper when needed.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0085_c81d81.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282995" /></figure>    The sophomore was the engine of Bridgeland's midfield, covering a lot of ground and keeping an intense rhythm on and off the ball. Playing more to the left side, McHugh made some good runs out wide, attacking the space behind the outside back, but also came inside to help create plays and connected some great passes in the attacking half. He appeared in great spots to finish chances around the penalty box in the second half, but ended up putting too much power into his shots. McHugh was also dangerous in transition plays in the second half and finished one of them with a well-placed low shot, that generated a rebound for Wingo to score the team's second goal.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0012_9b8bbd.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282959" /></figure>    The sophomore had a strong shift at left back, playing with great consistency and efficiency on both sides of the ball. Otalvaro handled his defensive duties extremely well, winning duels on the left and intercepting passes with great efficiency to keep things quiet. He pushed forward very often and was always an interesting option for the Bears on the left side. Otalvaro was very smart to get the ball in space with give-and-gos and sent some good crosses into the penalty box, but also appeared well with his passing.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0006_914c49.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282956" /></figure>    Geisler was on the field only for the first half, but helped Bridgeland produce a clean sheet and advance. He made a huge save when the match was still tied, stopping a close-range finish from Yu that could have changed the dynamics of the game if it had gone in. A few minutes earlier, he had appeared well stepping out of his line to handle a long pass that would find an opposing attacker behind his team's backline. The goalkeeper also did well with his punts and when he had to use his feet.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Great chance for <a href="https://twitter.com/TWHSMensSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TWHSMensSoccer</a> here, but <a href="https://twitter.com/GraysonGeisler1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GraysonGeisler1</a> makes a huge save - and sees the ball hit the post right after. <a href="https://t.co/vqjAxv2QnF">pic.twitter.com/vqjAxv2QnF</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1904329172211622056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>    Alongside senior Ignacio Lopez Del Olmo, the senior did a great job leading The Woodland's backline and helped his team sustain Bridgeland's pressure for a significant portion of the match. Suarez appeared very well defensively, clearing crosses from the penalty box and displaying great mobility and intelligence to defend in space. He also had a key role for the team when in possession with his passing range and his ability to build out of the back. Suarez took long free kicks with great precision and created some good chances for the Highlanders in dead-ball situations.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0018_49bbe7.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282963" /></figure>    The senior forward worked hard to create goalscoring opportunities for his team and did a great job of making things happen in difficult situations. With the Highlands playing long for most of the first half, Jankowski was often matched up with multiple Bridgeland defenders, but still managed to get on the end of passes and hold the ball - he almost drew a penalty kick in the first half, but was in an offside position. The striker was also very strong in the air and used his ability to create the team's best chance in the match, feeding Yu with a great headed pass after a long free kick. Jankowski didn't have a good chance to score, but kept working to create for his teammates until he left the match injured, making the Highlanders' task much more difficult.     The Woodlands' main playmaker, the sophomore was mostly used in transition plays in the first half and he did a good job of dribbling the ball in space and drawing free kicks. In the second half, with his team needing to score, Balderas-Berg got more on the ball and displayed an interesting ability to dribble in tight spaces and progress the ball in the final third. He got into good spots to finish after some of the plays he made, but his skilled left foot seemed a little off when it came to shooting as he couldn't get a good shot on target.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/TWHSMensSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TWHSMensSoccer</a> has a good chance to strike back with a dangerous free kick, but Emilio Balderas-Berg sends it over. <a href="https://t.co/36Bq1TKoxz">pic.twitter.com/36Bq1TKoxz</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1904340661433717067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>

The playoffs continue to progress in the high school soccer season in Texas and now every day, for each team excited with their qualification for the next round, we have another one frustrated with their season coming to an end.