Episcopal beat Bellaire in tight Texas HS scrimmage

The high school soccer season is officially underway in the state of Texas as, starting this past weekend, both public and private high school teams are active in non-district matches, preparing to start their journey toward the coveted state titles.   As has been the case in the last two seasons, Prep Soccer Texas will be following the action closely, covering multiple matches every week in the Houston area, as well as high school tournaments, and highlighting the standouts across the Lone Star State.   The first Boys game we covered this season was the scrimmage between reigning SPC state champions Episcopal Knights and perennial UIL playoff contenders Bellaire Cardinals, on Friday, December 13.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/12/texas-hs-boys-episcopal-vs-bellaire-photos/">Episcopal vs. Bellaire - Photos</a></li> </ul>   Two teams with strong aspirations for the season, Episcopal and Bellaire were very close for most of the first half. The Knights dominated the final portion of the half and created two big chances, with sophomore Sebastian Guerra hitting the crossbar in one of them and freshman Daryn Williams getting on the end of a cross to score.   The Knights managed to double their lead in the second half, when Guerra drew and converted a penalty kick. The home side played the last ten minutes down a man after sophomore was sent off, but still managed to protect their lead and walk away with the victory.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/EHSSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EHSSports</a> resist playing a man down for the last ten minutes and secure the 2-0 win over <a href="https://twitter.com/BHSBoysSoccerTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BHSBoysSoccerTX</a>. Photos and Match Report will post at <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepSoccerTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepSoccerTX</a> over the weekend. <a href="https://t.co/OCWA2xnO1v">pic.twitter.com/OCWA2xnO1v</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1867768539727507544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2024</a></blockquote>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    The sophomore was very dynamic and active in midfield, appearing well in the game. He formed a strong partnership with senior [player_tooltip player_id='16159' first='Geronimo' last='Barroso'] as the two controlled the central portion of the field with good intensity and quality on the ball. Guerra distributed the ball efficiently and consistently infiltrated into the opposing penalty box with off-the-ball runs. In one of those plays, he drew the penalty kick that he converted to score the team's second goal. The midfielder circulated well in the final third and fired two dangerous shots in the first half, with one hitting the crossbar and the other forcing Bellaire's goalkeeper David Carmelo to make a good save.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Goal <a href="https://twitter.com/EHSSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EHSSports</a> ! Sophomore Sebastian Guerra buries the PK he drew and doubles the lead. 2-0 <a href="https://t.co/UAntnu4B4n">pic.twitter.com/UAntnu4B4n</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1867764008016916538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2024</a></blockquote>    The sophomore was one of the pillars of the Knights' defensive system, playing as a left-sided center back. Holzhauser played with great energy and was excellent with his defensive actions, consistently getting clean stops. Despite not being very tall, he also defended well in the air, reading the ball's path and getting off the floor well to clear it. The center back was also very vocal, consistently communicating with his teammates and calling plays. Holzhauser was a key piece in his team's buildup too, displaying patience and quality to help the Knights move the ball around and progress on the field.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/12/IMG_3739.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-275653" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Episcopal vs. Bellaire</figcaption></figure>    One of Episcopal's captains, Jacobs was the soul of the team, playing with great determination and setting the tone for his teammates. He played as a wide midfielder on the right and did an excellent job with his two-way game. The senior worked hard on defense and offered great protection to the team's backline on his side and didn't allow much to get to them. Jacobs also showed some quality and impressive intelligence on the ball, playing simply, but very efficiently on offense. He played a key role in the final ten minutes, when Episcopal were down a man, dropping back to play right back and pulling his teammates into the right spots for the team to keep its defensive shape.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/12/IMG_3829.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-275672" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Episcopal vs. Bellaire</figcaption></figure>    Episcopal's pacey forward was a constant threat to Bellaire's backline with his great movement off the ball and athleticism. Agyeman-Yeboah Jr was excellent at attacking the opponents' last defensive line, timing his runs well to stay onside and exploding to beat defenders for the ball. These moves gave him a couple of good chances to score as he got in behind Bellaire's backline, with the opposing goalkeeper saving one and his finish going a little bit wide on the other. Agyeman-Yeboah Jr was of great importance for the Knights in the final ten minutes, when the team was down a man, as he managed to get on the end of long passes and hold onto the ball up top, giving their defense a few moments to breathe and reorganize.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/12/IMG_3845.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-275676" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Episcopal vs. Bellaire</figcaption></figure>    The junior left back had a solid night, very efficient and consistent with his actions. He had an interesting duel going with Bellaire's winger Leo Kolonin in the first minutes of the match, but quickly managed to dominate his opponent. Lynch displayed great chemistry with left-sided center back Holzhauser as the two consistently communicated and worked very well together, both on and off the ball. Lynch had some good runs overlapping on the left and sent some dangerous crosses into the penalty box. He had an interesting short corner routine with Guerra that generated some nice goalscoring opportunities for Episcopal.     Davies started the match in a box-to-box midfielder role and was very active on both sides of the ball. He covered a lot of ground defensively and worked well with fellow junior Carlos Jasso in front of the team's penalty box. Davies was heavily involved in possession too and his ability to dribble the ball through the middle and connect great passes to wide players helped the Cardinals control the starting portion of the first half. In the second half, Davies was moved to attack and also performed well with his back to the goal, combining with his teammates around the penalty box.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/12/IMG_3777.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-275661" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Episcopal vs. Bellaire</figcaption></figure>    Mathiesen was the most solid piece in Bellaire's backline and helped his team sustain the pressure of a talented Episcopal team for most of the match. Very tall, he controlled the penalty box very well, but also displayed impressive mobility to defend in space, chasing opposing attackers in wide positions and also around the midfield area. Mathiesen was also very calm and efficient in possession, supporting the team's buildup and displaying quality to connect long passes out of the back.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/12/IMG_3752.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-275656" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Episcopal vs. Bellaire</figcaption></figure>

The high school soccer season is officially underway in the state of Texas as, starting this past weekend, both public and private high school teams are active in non-district matches, preparing to start their journey toward the coveted state titles.