Over the past few weeks, the question – "What if?" has taken center stage.
Goose Creek Memorial girls soccer coach Roman Huizar held a Thursday practice during the week of Spring Break. The news began to break about COVID 19 and the closing of schools across Texas.
He could feel a 21-1-1 season slipping through his hands.
"This has been like Groundhog Day, everyday," he said. "We were going to play Friendswood for the district title the following Friday. We were going to the playoffs. It's really unfortunate. We have a great group of seniors and I hate it for them. To be in the position we were in and to be put in limbo, hurts."
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The Pats were having a season for the record books – their best regular season in school history. GC-M has only advanced to the Sectionals once in school history. The Friendswood game would have been for the district title.
"They beat us 1-0 and scored with three minutes left in the game," he said. "It would have been interesting to see how it would have played out."
Senior leader Tania Rodriguez was the heartbeat of the team, which had eight seniors. On the bright side, the Pats started five freshmen led by Kennedy Tristan.
"Tania would have been our top goal scorer and Kennedy would have been the District Newcomer of the Year – maybe even the MVP," he said. "She's a legit player and she will be our future. We have some other incoming freshmen and junior varsity players who will also step up next year in our new district."
With fingers crossed, Huizar and his squad have hopes of returning to a revised UIL playoff schedule.
"We are standing pat and watching the UIL," he said. "We have a sliver of hope. I'm sending workouts to the girls each week and they are itching to finish what they started."