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Juan Santacruz (1) looks for a teammate to pass the ball to during the Wildcats' Area playoff game against Palestine Thursday. Santacruz was one of eight senirs who played in their final game in the Wildcats' 3-1 loss. Photo by DJ Spencer
Wildcats’ season ends
LINDALE — The Sulphur Springs Wildcats had their season come to a disappointing end Thursday following a 3-1 Area round loss to the Palestine Wildcats at Eagle Stadium in Lindale. Despite the game being close, Sulphur Springs couldn’t make the plays needed to win, leading to a bitter defeat.
The first half didn’t feature much action early on, as both teams couldn’t capitalize on early scoring opportunities. Eventually, Palestine broke the scoreless tie with a goal at 30:55 mark in the half, taking a 1-0 lead.
Just over three minutes later, Sulphur Springs got on the board when Michael Rodriguez scored a goal, tying the score at 1-1.
After another stretch of no scoring, Palestine reclaimed the lead with 18:47 remaining in the half with another goal, pulling ahead 2-1. That score held up for the remainder of the half, as Palestine carried a 2-1 lead into halftime.
The second half wouldn’t feature a ton of action, as both defenses continued to play at a high level. Then, near the end of the game, Palestine put the game away with a goal with 3:47 remaining, extending their lead to 3-1. After no more scoring occurred, the game ended, with Sulphur Springs losing 3-1.
With the loss, Sulphur Springs’ season has come to an end. They end the season with an overall record of 15-6-6, finishing as district champions, Bi-District champions, and Area finalists.
This would go down as the last high school soccer game for eight senior Wildcats: Nicholas Braddy, Ezekiel Hernandez, Erick Osornio, Garrett Robinson, Daniel Rodriguez, Juan Santacruz, Brandon Tavera, and Manuel Tellez.
The Wildcats will look to improve in the offseason and make a deeper playoff run next year.