Faith Baker keeps her eyes on the ball during the second half of the Uvalde-Hondo ball game played on March 4. Baker recorded the hat trick with three goals for the Lobos in their district win over the Owls. (Photo by Pete Luna|Leader-News)
The Uvalde Lobos head into the final week of the District 28-4A soccer race needing two wins to secure the district championship.
But the challenge for the Uvalde girls will be trying to win a couple of road matches.
On March 11, the Lobos will travel to Somerset to play the Lady Bulldogs.
They then will take on the Floresville Jaguars at Floresville on March 14.
Both varsity matches will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be preceded with a 5 p.m. junior varsity match.
In district action last month at the Uvalde High School soccer field, the Lobos beat the Somerset girls, 4-1, and they topped the Floresville girls 5-1.
“We play in a tough district. It is especially tough to win on the road. We anticipate a couple of tough matches this coming week,” said Uvalde High School head coach Keith Pendleton.
“Somerset historically has not been an easy match for us. Floresville has a very good team and will seek to avenge their loss to us from last month,” said Pendleton. “Our girls are up to the task, but it is going to be a tough week.”
Coach Pendleton’s Lobos, 8-1 in district and 10-6-1 for the season, were to play the Poteet Aggies in a district match on March 7 in Uvalde.
They went into that match riding an eight-match winning streak.
Results from the match were not available.
Before the Uvalde-Poteet match, the Lobos downed the Hondo Owls, 5-0, in March 4 competition at Hondo.
The Lobos broke open a scoreless tie with a pair of goals during the final nine minutes of the first half.
Faith Baker recorded the first Uvalde goal. She connected on a shot from 21 yards out.
Baker scored the second goal of the match with 1:39 remaining in the half.
Her shot came from 12 yards out.
Up 2-0 at halftime, the Lobos extended their lead on a breakaway play by Faith Baker, who fired a shot by the goal keeper to score the hat trick and put the Lobos up by three goals with 25 minutes left in the contest.
The Lobos topped off their scoring with goals by Isis Chapa and Manuela Barbosa De Souza.
Chapa scored on a 25-yard, rainbow shot that went over the head of the Hondo goal keeper and went into the goal.
Her goal came with 9:44 left in the match.
Barbosa’s goal came off of an assist pass from Natalia Cabralez with 2:21 remaining on the clock.
The Lobos, Pleasanton, and Floresville have clinched a post-season playoff spot.
All that remains to been determined is their final placement in the district soccer standings.