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Boys soccer: Smith falls short of playoffs
BY ANDREW MAY, amay@acnpapers.com
Same song, second verse.
In a rematch of last season’s win-or-go-home regular season finale, Centennial and Newman Smith squared off again Friday with virtually the same set of circumstances at stake.
Trailing the Trojans by two points in the District 18-4A standings, Centennial needed a victory to punch its playoff ticket for the first time since 2007. Meanwhile, a tie or win by Newman Smith would send the Carrollton school to the postseason for the second year in a row.
“Scoring first was key for us,” CHS head coach Jason Aune said. “That pulled them out of the back and opened things up for us.”
Newman Smith, which handed Centennial a 2-0 setback in the first district meeting, seemed content playing for a tie early on. The Trojans lacked a sense of urgency and allowed the Titans to control play from the outset.
Centennial (6-12-2, 4-6) logged the first shot on goal just three minutes into the match and notched its first quality look in the 15th minute when senior captain Ben Green ripped a low liner from 20 yards out that was inhaled by Newman Smith senior goalkeeper Edwin Salguero.
Eight minutes later, the Titans caught the Trojans napping. After a Smith player was taken down in the Centennial box with no call, the Titans reversed field in a flash and within 20 seconds were within striking range on the other end. A floating pass was lobbed in from the left sideline to Edohoukwa, who got his left foot on the ball and punched it over Salguero for a 1-0 lead at the 17:42 mark.
The score remained the same at the half despite Centennial outshooting Smith, 9-3, in the first 40 minutes.
Edohoukwa tacked on insurance eight minutes into the second half with what wound up being the golden goal. Smith’s last defender back tripped 35 yards out and Centennial’s star striker had a free run at Salguero and the Trojan goal. He dribbled up just outside the penalty box and uncorked a blast that whizzed past Salguero to the left side for a 2-0 advantage.
Now feeling the pressure to step up its attack, Smith registered its best chance yet in the 50th minute when sophomore Gabriel Ortega sent a close-range shot on goal, but Centennial freshman keeper Garrett Closs was on the scene and dove to deflect it away. A mad scramble ensued and the ball trickled back in front of Ortega, who missed getting a foot on it before the Titans cleared.
With 20 minutes to go in the game, Smith (9-7-1, 3-6-1) appeared to score after Closs was unable to corral a hard shot, but the netminder grabbed it near the goal line, apparently before it crossed the plane. Trojan fans were none too happy, but it was evident that all momentum had now shifted.
“Newman Smith is a good team,” Aune said. “We knew they wouldn’t go away.”
Smith finally got on the board with 7:34 remaining when junior Jacob Boyd flicked the ball over Closs’s head to slice the deficit in half. The visitors continued to press the pace for the remainder of the contest but couldn’t find the equalizer.
Centennial, which had lost two in a row and four of its previous five games, will tussle with District 17-4A champion Little Elm at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a Class 4A Region II bi-district tilt at the LEISD Athletic Complex. The Titans beat the Lobos, 1-0, in non-district play.
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