Lozano's golazo: Austin Achieve captures first-ever state championship with boys soccer win
In a match that looked destined for extra time against Gainesville on Thursday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, Austin Achieve's Fredy Lozano connected on the only goal of the match, lifting the Polar Bears to a 1-0 victory and the school's first state championship in any sport.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — With about 12 minutes left in the UIL Class 4A-Division II boys soccer championship match, the Austin Achieve Polar Bears started to roar.
In a match that looked destined for extra time against Gainesville on Thursday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, Austin Achieve's Fredy Lozano connected on the only goal of the match, lifting the Polar Bears to a 1-0 victory and the school's first state championship in any sport.
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The game-winning goal came at the 68:09 mark of the 80-minute match. The Polar Bears intercepted a goal kick by Gainesville goalkeeper Leonardo Martinez that he played short down the middle of the field, and after a challenge created a loose ball, it rolled free to Lozano.
Lozano then lined up a left-footed shot from the left side of the 18-yard box and fired it toward the goal. The ball went over Martinez's outstretched arms and clipped the bottom of the crossbar, bouncing straight down and spinning off the turf into the net for the go-ahead strike. It was Lozano's third shot on goal of the match.
Gainesville had two corner kicks late in the match but couldn't convert them. The Leopards had a glimmer of a chance with 0:53 seconds left, but a ball played into the front of the 18-yard box was a little too far, and Austin Achieve goalkeeper Victor Escobar stepped up to grab it.
The Polar Bears outshot the Leopards 14-5 with six shots on goal. Escobar made four saves for a state title match clean sheet and Martinez made five stops.
Austin Achieve ended the season with a 23-4-1 record. Gainesville finished 18-4-3.
Wimberley girls fall in shootout heartbreaker
In the UIL Class 4A-Division II girls championship match, Wimberley and Canyon Randall battled through extra time and into an 8-round shootout. Canyon Randall's Kyleigh McHugh connected on the seventh shootout goal, lifting her squad to a 3-2 win over the Texans.
Wimberley took an early lead with Lillian Sandoval's first goal of the match at the 7:20 mark, but then Canyon Randall put two in the net late in the first half and early in the second to go up 2-1.
Sandoval equalized with her second goal at the 69:03 mark, and then the teams went goalless the rest of the way and through two periods of extra time.
Olivia Hendon assisted on Sandoval's first goal and Haley Lopez assisted on the second.
In the shootout, the team traded goals through the first five kicks, and then both teams missed their next one. After Wimberley missed its seventh attempt, that opened the door for McHugh to give the Amarillo-area school a state title with the final kick of the shootout.
Wimberley ended the season 24-2-3, and Canyon Randall finished 23-5-2.
Class 5A state championship matches continue Friday in Georgetown with the 6A championships Saturday. Cedar Park plays Frisco Wakeland for the girls 5A-DII champion and Liberty Hill faces Dallas Highland Park for the 5A-DII boys crown. Vandegrift plays Mesquite for the 6A-DII boys title and Lake Travis takes on Coppell for the 6A-DI girls championship.
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