The Lady Brahma soccer season has gotten off to a strong start. While the official district season is yet to start, the Lady Brahmas have been making an impact in tournaments and scrimmages. The Lady Brahmas continued to prevail as they competed in the Yoakum Tournament and finished third overall.
Thursday, January 2 marked the beginning of the tournament with the Lady Brahmas facing off against the El Campo Ricebirds. Coach Gabe Norris cites that the team struggled to find a rhythm, leading to the final score of 5-0 in favor of the Ricebirds.
The second game was hosted on Friday, and the Lady Brahmas faced the Palacios Lady Sharks. Freshman Avery Woodring scored the opening goal at the 13:57 mark. Junior Kaisly Bludau then scored on Woodring’s assist with 45 seconds left in the first half. Bludau would then score again with 3:28 left in the second half. Junior goalie Jesse Whitley finished the game with three saves, keeping the final score at 0-3 in favor of the Lady Brahmas.
Game three saw a four goal difference between the Smithville Lady Tigers and the Lady Brahmas. Bludau started the scoring in the first half, followed by two by Woodring- one in the first half and the other in the second. Woodring then assisted the final goal, scored by junior Bailey Smith. Sophomore Mallory Maes assisted on one of Woodring’s goals and on Bludau’s. Whitley and senior Sydney Kueker had two saves apiece. The Lady Tigers were held scoreless. This win left the Lady Brahmas 2-1 in the tournament- a strong position for a medal.
The fourth game was the second time the Lady Brahmas would meet the El Campo Lady Ricebirds in the tournament. Coach Norris attributes the closer score of their second meeting to the increased competitiveness of the Lady Brahmas. The Lady Brahma goalies had nine saves combined, with Whitley preventing seven goals and Kuecker two. The Lady Ricebirds would again best the Lady Brahmas, with a score 3-0. This evened out the Lady Brahma’s record, but didn’t completely end their chances at a podium placing.
The Lady Brahmas’ final game on Saturday determined the third place spot in the tournament. Facing off against the Calhoun Lady Crabs- a district opponent- the Lady Brahmas rallied to hold Calhoun scoreless and secure their placing in the Yoakum Tournament. Whitley played a large role in preventing Calhoun from scoring with three total saves. Smith scored in the first half off of a Woodring assist, and senior Diana Reyes finalized the score with 1:03 left in the game off of a Woodring rebound. Woodring’s two assists and the Lady Brahma’s defense sealed the game and secured the third place trophy.
The Lady Brahmas’ have since played in the Rice Tournament, placing second overall. Their district season starts on Tuesday, Jan. 21, where they will face Columbus at the Hallettsville Brahma Memorial Stadium at 7:15 p.m.
