TX: Zabiegala on fire as Lake Creek beat Bellaire in warm-up game

The playoffs are just around the corner in the Texas high school soccer season as, starting on Thursday, the first bi-district round matches will be held all over the Lone Star State.   Teams set to compete in the postseason have been using warm-up matches to finalize their preparations and fine-tune their game ahead of the most critical moment of the season. Prep Soccer Texas has been following some of those matches and on Tuesday, March 18, we were in Houston, where the Lake Creek Lions secured a 5-1 win over the Bellaire Cardinals ahead of both teams' first playoff matches.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/03/texas-hs-girls-bellaire-vs-lake-creek-photos/">Photos: Bellaire vs. Lake Creek</a></li> </ul>   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='112763' first='Lainy' last='Zabiegala'] played a major role in Lake Creek's victory as the dynamic forward scored the team's first two goals by getting on the ball inside the penalty box and firing powerful shots to find the back of the net. The Lions went to the halftime break with a 3-0 lead after fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='148497' first='Rylee' last='Struyk'] appeared inside the penalty box to score another one.   Zabiegala also played a major role in Lake Creek's fourth goal as she made an excellent play on the right and found senior Ryle Fuhrmann open to score on the far post. Bellaire got one back with freshman [player_tooltip player_id='227258' first='Ahava' last='Babajanov'], who calmly converted a penalty kick. The Lions scored the final goal of the match with senior Alayna Misenheimer, who followed up on a Zabiegala shot to get the rebound and send the ball into the back of the net.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The match is over here as <a href="https://twitter.com/LCHS_W_Soccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LCHS_W_Soccer</a> beat <a href="https://twitter.com/bellairesoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bellairesoccer</a> 5-1 - both teams will compete in the playoffs later this week. Photos and Match Report to drop soon at <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepSoccerTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepSoccerTX</a>. <a href="https://t.co/PFLutCSLv2">pic.twitter.com/PFLutCSLv2</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1902141569836130662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2025</a></blockquote>   The second-best team in District 17, Lake Creek will face West Fork on Friday, in the Division 5A playoffs. Bellaire, who were second in District 18, compete in Division 6A and will be faced with Cy-Fair in the bi-district round.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    Playing on the right side of Lake Creek's attack, Zabiegala was unstoppable, directly participating in four of the team's five goals. She was very strong in 1v1 plays and also did a great space of creating space with runs off the ball that disorganized Bellaire's backline. Zabiegala delivered a complete performance, using her pace and dribbling to create chances for her teammates and scoring on the ones she had - she did a great job of staying wide to beat defenders off the dribble while also appearing inside the penalty box to finish chances. On both of her goals, she displayed great finishing skills, shotting with power and precision.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0048_74b4f2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282498" /></figure>    Another sophomore, Struyk stood out in Lake Creek's backline with a very solid performance. She played everywhere across the backline, appearing at both outside back spots and also as a central defender, and did great defensive work, using her big frame to win duels and control the space. Struyk was at her best when used in her natural outside back role and she did a great job of consistently joining the attack. She used her long legs to quickly progress on the field and delivered some great crosses, especially in the first half. Struyk scored the team's third goal in a great play in which she drove the ball into the penalty box and hit a well-placed cross-shot.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0046_2c20d4.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282497" /></figure>    Working at the base of Lake Creek's midfield, the sophomore contributed to the team's dominant performance, producing well on both sides of the ball. Montgomery was relentless with her defensive work and was very active and energetic in winning duels and controlling the central area of the field. The midfielder also thrived when progressing the ball, being very efficient at getting it form the defenders and delivering to the attacking players in great spots. Montgomery was always very intelligent with her passing and also made some nice runs through the middle that opened up space in Bellaire's defensive system.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0049_da4c86.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282499" /></figure>    The senior delivered impressive versatility and quality on the ball and helped Lake Creek in a variety of ways. Furhmann spent time at left back, left midfielder and attacking midfielder and did good things in all three spots, thanks to her high soccer IQ and calm on the ball. She didn't put a foot wrong all match, always making good choices when in possession. When playing left back, Fuhrmann also showed solid defensive skills, controlling her area of the field without any issues. She also moved well in the final third and appeared in a great spot to get on the end of Zabiegala's cross and score with an easy tap-in.     The sophomore played further ahead in the field than her twin sister Hallie and had a big part in Lake Creek's chance-creation. Montgomery moved extremely well in the final third and consistently appeared in great spots to get on the ball and make plays. She would at times drop deeper to get on the ball with space to operate, but also made some great runs drifting wide from the center to attack the space on the flanks. She was very aggressive in 1v1 plays and created good chances by beating defenders off the dribble out wide.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0079_5e0d21.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282506" /></figure>    The freshman was the focal point of Bellaire's offense in the match and almost everything the Cardinals created went through her. Babajanov spent most of the first half as an attacking midfielder and used her body well to get on the end of long passes and make plays, either finding one of the wide midfielders with good passes or turning on opposing defenders and making runs on the ball through the ball. In the second half, she moved up to appear as a striker and became more goal-dangerous, working closer to the goal and consistently creating problems for Lake Creek's defenders. Babajanov showed great composure and quality to take the penalty kick and score her team's only goal in the match.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Goal <a href="https://twitter.com/bellairesoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bellairesoccer</a> ! A PK is called for the home team and <a href="https://twitter.com/Ahavablove?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ahavablove</a> sends the keeper the wrong way to get one back. 1-4 <a href="https://t.co/nCTbxp8Htg">pic.twitter.com/nCTbxp8Htg</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1902134528715464830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2025</a></blockquote>    The senior operated in the center of the field for Bellaire and made a great effort to help the team on both sides of the ball. Oomman had a hard time defending on the center of the field as Lake Creek occupied that zone with many talented players, but she worked hard and got some nice tackles, a few of which stopped what could have been dangerous plays. The midfielder also did good work on the ball and was one of the few players on the team who tried to keep it on the ground and move it around when Bellaire had possession instead of attempting long passes.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/03/2J4A0003_2bc0b4.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-282481" /></figure>

The playoffs are just around the corner in the Texas high school soccer season as, starting on Thursday, the first bi-district round matches will be held all over the Lone Star State.