KILLEEN— Despite a plethora of first-half opportunities, the scoreboard didn’t show it for the A&M Consolidated boys soccer team.
Its patience paid off as two goals in the second half helped Consol race past Killeen Chaparral, 2-0, in the Class 5A bi-district matchup, Tuesday at Joseph L. Searles III Stadium.
“We knew coming into playoffs, our chances that we create and the goal scoring chances we have will not be as high as they were during district and it was about capitalizing on those so when we came in after the first half, we weren’t at our best, in fact, we were far from it, so we talked about doing the basics right,” A&M Consolidated head coach Jarrod Southern said. “So when our chances come, we focus on that point of contact.”
After some stiff legs in the first half, it took just one shot for Consol to play loose.
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Andre Isar broke up the scoreless draw in the 48th minute as his shot from 25 yards out just got past the Chaparral keeper on the left to find the back of the net.
“He’s an unbelievable talent,” Southern said. “He’s got an incredible left foot, technically, one of the best players that we have, just the ability to control the ball, his vision, his passing, his technique to pass and shoot. He got a couple [goals] in the district, but he’s one to look for in the future, he’s just a sophomore.”
The immediate celebration ensued as he raced to Consol’s bench where the entire team met him as they mobbed him.
“It was really nice, every time I score, I try to run to the bench,” Isar said.
Once he scored, Southern felt his team calm down and play looser.
Not even 10 minutes later, Geovanny Sanchez got involved. As he had a herd of Bobcat defenders surrounding him, he found enough space in the box to fend off a few defenders before shooting from the right side of the box and curling the ball inside the far left post for the goal.
“[Sanchez] catches defenders by surprise, when the ball is bouncing, he is able to get in between because of his size and agility,” Southern said. “But it just shows the ability of our team, we can score beautiful goals where we construct them from back to front or we can score them directly.”
Through the first 15 minutes, the Consol offense struggled with consistent passes as through balls were easily intercepted and some loose attempts turned into easy turnovers and momentum for Chaparral. The Tigers’ defense stood tall, as any Chaparral threat at goal was thwarted before goalkeeper Ross Versari had to come out of goal.
Consol (16-2-3) had the sun in its face the entire first half, which played a minimal factor in the way they both controlled the ball and how effective passing they were.
Consol held the majority of the half with possession and lived on the Bobcats’ defending third, but had no goal to show for it. Whether a pass was too errant or a little too late, the Tigers had limited clean shooting opportunities, despite its seven shots, five on target.
Southern felt his team saw the gaps, but didn’t quite capitalize on them in the first 40 minutes and lost possession resulting in backtracking to try and gain ground on defense.
“I think the nerves of the playoffs in that first half [were a lot],” Southern said. “I as a coach was anxious, so as a player, their legs must’ve felt numb, the ball was sticking.”
Chaparral (8-11-6) mustered up just one shot against the Tigers’ stingy defensive third.
The Tigers spent the majority of the second half near the Bobcats’ goal, as they finished with 11 shots on goal and 14 total. Even with the two in the second half, Southern still feels Consol had a good chance at netting another few.
It was Consol’s 11th clean sheet of the season, further cementing the defense as a strength.
“It’s really good to have good people back there because if I mess up, I know I’ll work my hardest to track back and get it, but I have people who have my back, Izar said.
The Tigers advance to the area round and will face Georgetown East View with a time and a location to be determined.