Another thrilling week of Playoff Soccer in the books, and only two Southeast teams remain in the race for the UIL 5A State Championship
As fate would have it, both clubs competing in the Texas Sweet-16 -- Barbers Hill and Port Neches-Groves -- come from the same district.
The PNG girls emerged victorious from a fierce match against Friendswood, whereas Barbers Hill advanced after a tense tug-of-war in a penalty shootout to cap off an instant classic with Angleton.
With the Regional Tournament starting this Friday, here is the outlook for H-Town’s reps looking to push further into history.
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5A Girls Soccer
*Record Format: W-L-T (Tournament games not included)
*List is ordered alphabetically
Barbers Hill Eagles
Photo acquired via Twitter: @BH_LadySoccer
Barbers Hill Eagles
2022-23 Regular Season: 12-2/Finished 2nd in District 17-5A
Head Coach: Bonnie Landry
2022-23 Playoffs:
- Bi-District: 3-1 Win v. Santa Fe
- Area Round: 2-2 (3-1 Penalty Shootout) Win v. Foster
- Regional Quarterfinals: 1-1 (10-9 Penalty Shootout) Win v. Angleton
Round 3 MVP(s): "My keepers Trinity Atkinson (So.) & Kennedy Franks (Fr.) for their big saves during the game and PK's," said Coach Landry. "Also Cadence Sanders (Sr. MF) & Jacie Meredith (Sr. F) for their goals and quality of play."
Regional Semifinals Matchup: v. Georgetown
Keys to the Game: "Our keys to playing Georgetown are going to be high pressure on ball, eliminating passing lanes, speed on the offensive side for us and just playing hard."
Prospectus: Barbers Hill has been on a tear throughout this UIL postseason.
After breezing past Santa Fe in the first round, the Eagles knocked a top-notch Foster team out of the playoffs in PKs, which was followed by a nerve-wracking penalty shootout win for the ages against Angleton.
With a rapidly-maturing duo of goal keepers, and seniors providing experience on the attack, BHHS' stars complement each other exceptionally in every third on the pitch. Experience and consistency is the key to maintaing postseason longevity. Fortunately, for Barbers Hill, they have that and then some as they prepare to face Georgetown.
"Our team's greatest strength throughout the post season would be their GRIT & HEART to play together as a team," Landry said.
Port Neches-Groves Indians
Photo by Emily Mire of NDN Press--Acquired via HC Aimee Bates
Port Neches-Groves Indians
2022-23 Regular Season: 12-1-1/District 17-5A Champions
Head Coach: Aimee Bates
2022-23 Playoffs:
- Bi-District: 4-0 Win v. Manvel
- Area Round: 3-0 Win v. Fulshear
- Regional Quarterfinals: 2-1 Win v. Friendswood
Round 3 MVP(s): "I can't say because so many of them had a part in that win," said Coach Bates. "Marlee Sonnier (Sr. F) and Ava Zumo (So. F) did the work up top and created a lot of opportunities for our team. Our midfielders put in the work to balance our attack and get behind the ball to help with Olivia Schmidt..."
"Ariana Sandoval and Emma Bates were box to box all night. Our defense shut down an all state forward with their tenacity. Alexis Blotner is our senior who ran things back there and Holly Husen stepped up as a freshman at centerback because Ansley Husen tore her ACL against Fulshear. It was a new position and she handled it well. Addison Blotner caused problems for their left winger all night. It was a team victory and I'm proud of all my kids."
Regional Semifinals Matchup: v. Belton
Keys to the Game: "Belton is a solid squad with a fast speed of play," Bates said. "We believe we can disrupt their play and wreak havoc on them. We may not have as many chances as they have but we will execute ours when we have it. We know we are the underdogs in theis match and we are here to embrace it and pull off an upset."
Prospectus: PNG Girls Soccer has become a model of postseason consistency over the past near-decade, having reached the Regional Tournament six out of the last eight years.
The kicker is that the Indians have yet to advance past this point, but Head Coach Aimee Bates and her team are confident in their ability to do just that.
"We put in the work all year on how to treat each other and talk to each other," she said. "We do numerous team building activities and talks so the foundation is laid. It makes it hard to beat us because they are fighting to stay together one more week. Our strength on the field is our grit. We never give up. We have 19 girls that get after it and are gritty.This is our year!"
They will be facing an equally consistent Belton team that's coming off a big-time win against A&M Consolidated (3-0) which could prove to be troublesome.
However, if their preceding performances are any indication, this could easily become the game of the year for PNG. Stay tuned.