TX: Tomball come back to beat Magnolia West

District play is underway in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) high school soccer season in the state of Texas as teams from all over the Lone Star State have now officially started the race for spots in the playoffs.   Prep Soccer Texas will be following the battle for a place in the postseason in the Houston area, covering multiple matches every week and featuring the top performers in each of them. On Thursday, January 23, we followed an exciting Division 6A - District 15 duel between the Tomball Cougars and the Magnolia West Mustangs.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/01/texas-hs-girls-tomball-vs-magnolia-west-photos/">Photos: Tomball vs. Magnolia West</a></li> </ul>   Despite playing on the road, Magnolia West had an offensive attitude and that led to scoring the first goal of the match with junior midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='26528' first='Avery' last='Riley'], who had a great run on the right and finished with a powerful shot. Near the end of the first half, the home team was rewarded for its insistence and leveled the score with sophomore forward Ella Taylor drawing and converting a penalty kick.   Tomball kept control of the game in the second half and counted on another brilliant play by Taylor to jump ahead. The forward dropped back and sent a beautiful through ball on the left to freshman winger McKenzie Prado, who cut inside the scored the Cougars' second shot with a great shot right into the upper corner.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/MWHSLadySoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MWHSLadySoccer</a> make a final push but <a href="https://twitter.com/maddie16landry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@maddie16landry</a> clears the ball and helps <a href="https://twitter.com/TOMGSOCCER?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TOMGSOCCER</a> sustain their 2-1 victory. Photos and Match Report dropping soon at <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepSoccerTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepSoccerTX</a>. <a href="https://t.co/nTEaeoeMva">pic.twitter.com/nTEaeoeMva</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1882590647473086928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2025</a></blockquote>   With the comeback win, Tomball continued undefeated in district play, now with three victories in as many matches - their season record has five wins and one tie. Magnolia West dropped to 1-3 in district play and hold a 3-4-1 win record for the season.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    The sophomore was decisive in Tomball's comeback, scoring the team's first goal and assisting in the second. The focal point of the Cougars' offense, Taylor was a constant threat to Magnolia West's backline with her ability to dominate defenders physically and make turns around and inside the penalty box. She scored the team's first goal in a moment when Tomball dominated possession, but couldn't really create chances by fighting for the ball inside the penalty box and getting fouled - Taylor was really calm and composed to convert the penalty kick. She also did a great job of dropping a few steps to operate as a playmaker and played an inch-perfect through ball for Prado to score the game-winning goal.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Goal <a href="https://twitter.com/TOMGSOCCER?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TOMGSOCCER</a> ! <a href="https://twitter.com/Ella_Taylor10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ella_Taylor10</a> draws and converts a PK to level the score. 1-1 <a href="https://t.co/DkF2EJgxFS">pic.twitter.com/DkF2EJgxFS</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1882572518223220936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote>    The senior was very active in midfield for Tomball and insistently tried to help her team create chances. Even though Magnolia West did a good job of competing in the center of the field, Kelley found ways to make plays despite the limited space and was dangerous on some occasions. She moved extremely well off the ball, at times dropping back to get it from the center backs or outside backs, and connected good passes, helping create space. Kelley was also very dynamic and covered a lot of ground, frequently appearing inside the attacking penalty box, but also dropping back and playing with great energy on the defensive of the game.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/01/2J4A0068.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-277661" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tomball vs. Magnolia West</figcaption></figure>    Murray had a solid performance and gave the Cougars the defensive balance they needed to push forward and play very offensively. She formed a solid center-back duo with junior Madison Landry and the two did an excellent job of keeping Magnolia West's attackers away from the penalty box. When defending, Murray had the most freedom while Landry stayed back to cover and the sophomore was excellent at winning duels, using her physicality to dominate opponents. She also was very active in possession, looking for the ball and connecting good low, direct passes through the middle and sending long diagonals too.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/01/2J4A0062_f31e21.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-277660" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tomball vs. Magnolia West</figcaption></figure>    Corral played a few different roles for Tomball and helped the team keep a strong rhythm with his quality on the ball. She started the match in midfield and formed a strong pair with Kelley as the two connected in combination plays and pulled the strings from the central region of the field. Corral also did a good job of infiltration into the penalty box to finish chances, but had most of her attempts stopped. In the second half, she moved to the right wing and, even though she didn't get on the ball as often, she made some nice plays by feeding diagonal passes to Taylor up to and by coming inside to open space out wide for right back Emily Fowlkes to advance.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/TOMGSOCCER?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TOMGSOCCER</a> with a great chance off of a <a href="https://twitter.com/Izzy_G08?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Izzy_G08</a> corner kick but <a href="https://twitter.com/CorralMikaela?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CorralMikaela</a> can't make full contact with the ball. <a href="https://t.co/soXwXMzEZt">pic.twitter.com/soXwXMzEZt</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1882573761867894936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote>    Prado came off the bench at left winger and scored the game-winning goal for Tomball, playing a key role in their victory. In that play, the freshman showed great intelligence to attack the space and time her run to remain onside, quickness to bring the ball inside and take a shot from a difficult angle and impressive technique to hit the upper corner. The goal gave Prado a lot of confidence and she made some other good plays on the left.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://t.co/vWiMgfx3eR">pic.twitter.com/vWiMgfx3eR</a>— Fiorella Prado (@FiorellaMP77) <a href="https://twitter.com/FiorellaMP77/status/1882628002137416151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2025</a></blockquote>    Playing as a central midfielder, Riley was Magnolia West's most active player and the vast majority of the team's offensive plays had her involved. She scored the team's goal in a beautiful run down the middle, which she finished with a powerful right-footed shot, and she successfully repeated that play on some occasions. Riley moved very smartly off the ball and was very good at dribbling in tight spaces, managing to create chances despite Tomball's close defending, as she helped set up many of the Mustangs' transition plays with her smart passing. The junior was also very disciplined defensively and made some tackles and clearances in the defensive half.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/01/2J4A0069.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-277662" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tomball vs. Magnolia West</figcaption></figure>    It was a busy night for the junior goalkeeper, who couldn't have stopped either of Tomball's goals, but kept the Mustangs in the game with some great saves. If in the first half, Magnolia West managed to limit Tomball's offense to crosses and shots from outside the box, it was a different story in the second half as Ramirez had to make some great saves to keep the ball out of the goal. She displayed great reflexes and explosiveness, stopping some shots really near the posts. The goalkeeper also did a good job with her punts, sending long and accurate passes into the attacking half.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/01/2J4A0107.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-277672" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tomball vs. Magnolia West</figcaption></figure>    Sumrall was a key piece in Magnolia West's playing system, performing with simplicity and efficiency. She played somewhat of a hybrid role, defending as a left back but stepping up and coming inside when in possession to support the team's buildup. The senior did a solid job defensively, reading plays well to make interceptions and winning physical duels. Sumrall was very effective with her passing and created some chances for the Mustangs in dead-ball situations, sending dangerous crosses from free kicks and corner kicks into Tomball's penalty box.    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/MWHSLadySoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MWHSLadySoccer</a> with a good chance after a <a href="https://twitter.com/sumrall_amie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sumrall_amie</a> corner kick. Her service has been great every time. <a href="https://t.co/kWxmydGiDZ">pic.twitter.com/kWxmydGiDZ</a>— Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1882582447495520725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2025</a></blockquote>    Playing as a right back, the senior had a solid shift, appearing well on both sides of the ball. Zelaya was very solid defensively, closing out the space on her side of the field and winning many duels near the sidelines - she was just one step behind Prado in the game-winning goal, but still didn't give the Tomball freshman a lot of room to finish, making her shot even more impressive. During the first half, Zelaya also had strong offensive pushes down the right, keeping the ball and drawing fouls, which helped break Tomball's press and gave her team's backline a few seconds to breathe.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/01/2J4A0045_1537d4.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-277654" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tomball vs. Magnolia West</figcaption></figure>

District play is underway in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) high school soccer season in the state of Texas as teams from all over the Lone Star State have now officially started the race for spots in the playoffs.