The Tenaha Tiger soccer team outscored its opponents 9-7 in three matches last week to post a 2-1 record and move back to .500 (5-5) on the year with wins over Tatum and Liberty Eylau before falling in a one-goal decision to Class 4A powerhouse Texas High.
The Tigers received a two-goal match by William Lazaro in a 3-2 victory over the Eagles in Tatum on Tuesday night. In a make-up game on Thursday, Lazaro found the goal twice in a 3-1 win at home against Liberty Eylau. THS then went on the road to Texarkana on Friday night and fell to Texas High, 4-3, in a hard-fought matchup to begin this week's play with a 5-5 season mark.
Tenaha finishes the 2011 season this week. The Tigers hosted Spring Hill on Tuesday, will visit Carlisle on Friday at 7 p.m. and then wrap up the season on Saturday vs. Carlisle at Palestine.
Here's a recap of last week's games:
Tenaha 3, Tatum 2 -- The Tigers recorded 15 shots on goal, while converting three of them to edge Tatum, 3-2, on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
This matchup was close throughout with the Tigers finally getting on the board with 17 minutes left in the first half when Victor Flores found the net. The Tigers scored their second goal off a corner kick when William Lazaro headed the back into the back of the net.
Tenaha scored its third goal of the match early in the second half when Lazaro made it 3-0 Tigers as they appeared to be in command.
But the Eagles wouldn't give up, mounting a strong comeback attempt in the second half with a goal at the 12:30 mark and another with 4:40 remaining. But Tenaha shut them down from that point to claim its fourth victory of the season.
"It was great for the boys' program to get the win against Tatum," said Tenaha Head Coach Chris Green. "We had never beaten them before and it was a well-deserved victory.
"I hope the UIL (University Interscholastic League) allows Class 1A, 2A and 3A schools to form a soccer district and with this win I think Tenaha has proven it deserves to have a place in a district to compete.
"I was very impressed how well our bench played. I had six kids come off the bench and put in quality minutes and that really helped us secure the victory."
Richard Koller picked up the win in goal for Tenaha by recording 15 saves on 17 shots on goal.
Tenaha 3, Liberty Eylau 1 -- Tenaha improved its record over the .500 mark (5-4) for the first time since winning its first game of the season back on Jan. 11 when the Tigers trounced Liberty Eylau, 3-1, on Thursday, Feb. 11. This was a game was postponed early because of inclement weather.
Lazaro scored a pair of first-half goals for Tenaha, while Jose Campos added an insurance goal in the second half.
Koller and Tim Hafford combined for the win in goal for the Tigers. Koller saved all seven shots he faced, while Hafford picked up a pair of saves on three goals faced.
Texas High 4, Tenaha 3 -- Richard Koller played a stellar game in goal on Friday night, facing 39 shots on goal, while recording 35 saves in a match at Grim Stadium in the 4-3 setback to the Class 4A Tigers.
Texas High recorded 20 shots on goal in the first half and continued to put the pressure on the Tenaha defense, scoring three goals in the first 40 minutes of action.
The home team added its fourth goal early in the second half with 29 minutes left. But Tenaha continued to fight back as Campos scored two minutes later.
With 22 minutes left on the clock Tenaha trimmed the lead to 4-2 when senior Victor Flores found the back of the net. Four minutes later Tenaha once again scored when Flores scored off a Campos assist to cut the advantage to 4-3.
"This has to be the happiest I've ever been after a loss," Green stated. "I knew that we had a chance tonight with the way we've been playing lately, but I was a little cautious going into the game.
"Texas High is the largest school we will play all year and they have a very good soccer program. I was so proud how my team played and never gave up, especially after falling behind 4-0 in the second half. After they took the four-goal lead we could have just gave up, but instead we scored three goals in nine minutes, which is very impressive for any team. Doing that against the caliber of a team like Texas High makes it even more special.
"My defense really played well tonight, with Jeremy Tovar, Alberto Leos, Ruben Tovar and Dani Juardo giving it their all for the entire 80 minutes."