VYPE U: New Caney Defeats Porter in Men's Soccer

Last Tuesday, Porter High School and New Caney High School faced off for the annual Battleline on 59. In their last match-up, the game was held at Porter. The Spartans were victorious with a 2-1 win. However, going into this game a lot of things were on the line.

Porter was entering the match 7-1 in district play and holding second place. Meanwhile, New Caney was headed into the game 5-4 and in 4th place fighting for a playoff appearance.

During the first half, many shot opportunities were given to both sides, but nothing landed in the net. With a scoreless first half, both teams knew things had to change in the second.

As the second half came, New Caney was able to land a goal by Miguel Rodriguez at 14:17. The last five minutes of the game saw the pace pick up rapidly. After an intense struggle, Rodriguez was able to score again with 22 seconds remaining on the clock.

New Caney was victorious, finishing out the game with the final score of 2-0.

"It feels awesome, it's my first time beating Porter. We've played a lot of close games in the past, it just feels good to finally get one back," Head Coach Brett Crawford said.

Sophomore Miguel Rodriguez has certainly made an impact for the Eagles alongside Angel Hernandez as both are top scorers for the team.

"It was amazing beating Porter, both teams played great. Both of us had multiple chances to score, we were fortunate enough to have ours land in the back of the net." Rodriguez said.

As far as playoffs are concerned for the New Caney Eagles, this win helped push them toward placement. They are now seeded at the number three spot one point ahead of Caney Creek.

"We have to keep building up the momentum and come back even stronger on Friday," Coach Crawford said. "Picking up three more wins will help us a lot. We need those three points or else all of this will have been for nothing."

The loss to New Caney does not change Porter's ranking. They are still seeded number two in district play.

"I'd rather play an intense game like that, than a 7-0 blowout. Those games aren't fun," Head Coach Paul Kunkel said.

Both teams put on a show with the possession being back and forth. Every fan was at the edge of their seat holding their breath as every shot was being taken.

"If you look at stats, we had more shot opportunities. We just didn't take advantage of our shots. Meanwhile, Coach Crawford and the boys took that advantage and made the shots,'' Coach Kunkel said.