Dobie slips past Pearland in soccer playoffs
April 5, 2023
The Oilers advanced to the regional quarterfinals after getting a 2-1 upset win over the Kingwood Mustangs last week. So Pearland had already experienced getting a win over a higher ranked team in the post-season.
"We knew going into it we would have to give it our all," Pearland head coach Scott Macneish said. "Dobie is so talented with so many good individual players. We watched film and knew it would be tough, and I thought our players stuck to the game plan.
"We were hoping they would get a little tired in the second half and we could kind of counter, which is what we've been good at all year."
The first half was dominated by Dobie on the Pearland side of the field for the majority of the time but Pearland was able to stand firm against several shots on goal.
The Oilers managed only a few times in the first half to work the ball on Dobie's end to the field to get three shots on goal that missed the mark.
With eight minutes gone in the first half, Dobie was able to score the only goal as Jordi Garcia knocked home a shot off the crossbar from 24-yards out giving the Longhorns a 1-0 lead that stood until intermission.
The Longhorns added goals from Alex Escobar and Miguel Azua in the second half in opening a 3-0 bulge, which was too much for Pearland (14-4-10) to overcome.
With 14 minutes left in the game, Pearland's Ethan Krchnak found an opening in the Dobie defense for a short goal that cut the lead to 3-1. The Oilers were unable to get another close range shot on goal and the Longhorns held on for the playoff win to advance to the regional tournament.
Dobie (23-0-4) will next take on Jordan in a 6A Region III semifinal at 7:30 p.m., Friday at Deer Park's Abshier Stadium.
