Northeast boys work overtime to get past Hendrickson in bi-district shootout
PFLUGERVILLE — Northeast is no stranger to playoff penalty shootouts, something that came in handy Friday night.
The Raiders survived two shootouts during their Class 5A regional finals run last year, so when their bi-district match against Hendrickson went to the final stage at the Pfield, Northeast coach Kyle Olson felt confident.
The Raiders ended a highly entertaining and fast-paced contest with a 4-4 (4-2) win in the shootout, receiving a great save from goalkeeper Alan Garcia on Hendrickson’s second attempt and then clinching the win when Erik Velazquez blasted Northeast’s fifth attempt to the left side.
“My boys have experience in penalties, and I have a lot of trust in our penalty-takers and our goalie,” Olson said. “What we went through last year was tremendous, then having Alan back from that — he’s used to it. And it’s something we practiced in anticipation of this game.”
After missing the playoffs for a seven-year stretch, this is the third straight season in which Northeast has not only qualified for the postseason, but won at least one game while there.
“It’s huge to win in the playoffs,” Olson said. “I’m super-proud of how the boys played tonight and how they stayed positive and were able to take the penalties with a clear mind and confidence.”
In what has been a trend across Central Texas for the first round of the playoffs, the game went to extra time in dramatic fashion. The Hawks (10-10-4) trailed 4-3 entering the final minute, but Erick Rios played a superb long ball that Isaac Santamaria ran onto and eventually finished to tie the match with 37 seconds left.
In a credit to the Raiders (16-5-1), they didn’t appear affected and continued to display quality in extra time.
“When we were tied at the end of regulation, I told our guys to forget what had happened; you have 20 minutes to play, and it’s a new game,” Olson said.
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The contest was a back-and-forth one of offensive fireworks. Augustine Bitomwa, the lone player with two goals, used his speed to take advantage of a great through ball from Alex Garcia to put Northeast ahead 1-0 in the seventh minute. Hendrickson responded less than four minutes later when Damo Kaoukou scored off a corner kick from Jaxson White.
Both Alan Garcia and Hendrickson goalie Ethan Gilbert made several good saves the rest of the first half before the Hawks had an own goal on a Northeast corner in the 38th minute. But seconds later, Jacob Youngkin finished a rebound off Alan Garcia’s block to tie the game going into halftime.
Angel Alvarez ended a nice sequence of passes by the Raiders moments into the second half with a solid finish to put Northeast ahead 3-2. Then White evened the match on a solid one-touch after a missed penalty rebounded off the post straight to him near the top of the box.
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Bitomwa scored his second goal on another run onto a through ball — again showing off his elite speed — to give the Raiders their 4-3 lead in the 70th minute.
“I love through balls because I know my speed is my greatest strength, so when I get those, it’s exciting,” said Bitomwa, a native of Tanzania whose first language is Swahili. “It makes me feel good to contribute to the team winning a playoff game.”
Kaoukou hit the crossbar a couple of minutes before Rios and Santamaria teamed up to tie the game for the fourth time.
The result spoiled a phenomenal performance by Rios, who, though he didn’t score, was clearly the best player on the field and provided numerous passes that would have been worthy of taking place at Q2 Stadium.
“He’s a special person and a special player,” Hendrickson coach Jacob Stern said.
Beinfait Yonyimiki, Miguel Vega and Alex Garcia converted Northeast’s first three attempts in the shootout — sandwiched around Alan Garcia’s block — before Velazquez’s winning shot.
“As a senior, I just want to enjoy my last season here and hopefully we can make another long run again,” Alex Garcia said.
“This means a lot,” Alan Garcia said. “It’s our last school season, and we want to keep it going.”
Other area boys bi-district playoff results
Class 6A — Dripping Springs def. Westwood 2-2 (5-3); Lake Travis def. Vandegrift 2-1; Mansfield def. Weiss 1-0; Round Rock def. Del Valle 0-0 (5-4); Stony Point def. Bowie 1-1 (3-1)
Class 5A — LASA-Austin def. East View 2-1; Cedar Park def. Smithson Valley 2-0; Connally def. Eastside 3-0; Glenn def. Comal Pieper 1-0; Leander def. Boerne Champion 3-0; Rouse def. New Braunfels Canyon 1-0
Dripping Springs 2, Westwood 2 (5-3): The Tigers won in dramatic fashion in a penalty shootout Thursday at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex. York Merrill scored early in the second half for Dripping Springs, with Westwood’s Pablo Zavala providing the equalizer to force extra time. Kawan Borba put the Warriors on top in the second half of extra time, then Parker Johnson found the net in the final minute to push the game to a shootout. Tigers goalie Lucas Perez saved Westwood’s fourth attempt, with Joey Svoboda converting to give Dripping Springs the win. Mason Russell had both assists for the Tigers.
Lake Travis 2, Vandegrift 1: Tre Wright scored twice to give the Cavs — the defending Class 6A champions — a win Thursday at Lake Travis. Wright’s winner came late in the second half.
Mansfield 1, Weiss 0: The Wolves’ season came to a close with a loss to Mansfield on Thursday at Robinson.
Round Rock 0, Del Valle 0 (5-4): The Dragons advanced by winning in a shootout at Del Valle.
Stony Point 1, Bowie 1 (3-1): Tigers goalkeeper Jonny Cuartas made three saves in the shootout as Stony Point defeated Bowie on Friday at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex. Micah Marquez scored for the Tigers in regulation and converted a penalty in the shootout, with David Aviles and Jaramillo Santiago Valenzuela also producing successful shootout attempts.
LASA 2, East View 1: Hays Turner and Tyler Brannon produced goals to give the Raptors a historic win Thursday at East View. It was the first postseason win in a team sport for the LASA athletic department since the school opened in 2020.
Cedar Park 2, Smithson Valley 0: Zeb Weiland’s two goals and Jaxon Mast’s clean sheet paced the Timberwolves to their win Friday at Smithson Valley High School.
Connally 3, Eastside 0: Orlando Frias had a brace, Gabry Olalde scored a goal, Lawrence Doe produced two assists and Alan Gonzalez recorded a clean sheet to lead the Cougars over Eastside on Friday at Connally High School.
Glenn 1, Comal Pieper 0: Vince Rodriguez’s goal in the final two minutes of extra time off a pass from Tito Don Juan gave the Grizzlies a win over Comal Pieper on Friday at Glenn High School. Zac Verbeck produced the shutout, including saving a penalty in the first half.
Leander 3, Boerne Champion 0: Will Tole recorded a shutout, Sebastian Rivas had a brace and an assist, and Yahir Tellez found the net to pace the Lions over Boerne-Champion on Friday at San Marcos.
Rouse 1, New Braunfels Canyon 0: Ryan Clanton’s finish of a pass from Evan Kipley and Jake Loofs’ clean sheet led the Raiders over New Braunfels Canyon on Friday at Rouse.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Northeast boys soccer beats Hendrickson in thrilling shootout win
