During the first round of playoffs, the girls dominated the run of play in their 3-0 victory against Warren in a Class 6A Division I on March 20th.
“It’s really like a proud mom moment for me because I’m the older one on the team,” said senior captain and St. Mary’s signee Krista Perez. “We started off not knowing each other in practice, and there was no chemistry. So, to become a better team each day, in each practice, and then be able to perform like that is just a great step.”
Despite the domination, the Jaguars (13-4-6) still needed 38 minutes to get on the board when sophomore Sophia Allen finished sophomore Makenzie Shirley’s pass to take a 1-0 lead. During just the first half the team led over Warren in a 11-1 advantage in shots and 3-0 edge in corner kicks.
“I felt like we were really knocking at the door, and I think it was a team effort,” Johnson junior Abby Blanchette said. “We worked hard on our high press, and we were all working together as a unit, and I think it really paid off.”
Blanchette made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half, and she scored another with eight minutes left for a 3-0 lead.
“We’ve been working on crosses a lot this season,” Blanchette said. “I think that’s one of our strong suits. We really fought to keep it in the box, and we had great service in the box, and they were just good opportunities to look for the finish.”
The Jaguar boys ended this season 12-7-2 and 3rd overall in district.
“I think the season went great overall. At the beginning of the year the team was dealing with injuries and players being out, but as the season went on we found our groove and started to do better,” junior forward Quentin Decamara said.
First round, the boys came out on top in a nail-biter against the Warren Warriors on Thursday, with a narrow 3-2. This helped them maintain their winning streak since February 17th.
“My favorite memory about playoffs would probably be traveling with the team and enjoying the atmosphere,” Decamara said.
After Warren scored 2 goals and stretched the lead to 2-0, the boys persevered and narrowly won 3-2. This pushed them into the second round against Lake Travis.
“First round didn’t start the way we wanted it to,” Decamara said. “We were put in a 2-0 loss, but we managed to turn the game around and come back from it. I think we only managed to do it by not giving up and working together to score 3 more goals.”
The girls second round opponent was Round Rock( 20-1-2). The challenging opponent has only conceded 2 goals the entire season and was going into the game with their 11th straight shutout. Despite Round Rock being such a difficult opponent and Johnson being such a new team, the two teams were neck and neck the whole game.
“Our biggest challenge has been our lack of experience, especially when playing more experienced teams like this. It is truly our biggest area that we are addressing,” said Coach Scott Stone. “But we are growing quickly in experience and that will only make us a better team in the long run.”
But after conceding a goal early in the first half, the girls could not find the back of the net and lost in a devastating 0-1 in the second round.
“A lot of the game of soccer is about momentum,” Blanchette said. “It’s about who is going to score the first goal and where it’s going to go from there.”
The boys overall dominated the match against Lake Travis. But were knocked out after a narrow 4-3 loss in penalty kicks. The game ended their very successful season.
“Second round was completely different, ” Decamara said. “We started with a 1-0 lead and then a 2-1 lead, but Travis managed to come back and tie it to two. Through two overtimes it stayed 2-2, so we went to PK‘s. Even though we lost in a PK shootout 4-3, the loss was devastating, but I think it brought our team closer.”
After the girls were knocked out during the second round, the team’s record finished 13-5-6. Despite all the doubts and being such a young program the girls still secured the district title for the third year in a row.
“From the beginning of the season to the end of the season, it’s been such a drastic change,” Blanchette said. “We came back with just a small number of returning players, and to come back and shape the team into what it is. I don’t know. I would just say it’s crazy. I honestly didn’t believe it when it happened, and I’m so grateful for every person on the team.”
