GEORGETOWN – What was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Boerne girls soccer team turned out to match their best season in program history.
After graduating 13 seniors in 2023 there weren’t too many who thought the Lady Hounds could get back to the 4A state tournament for the third straight season.
Not only did Boerne return to Birkelbach Field for the third year in a row, but they also earned silver medals to match the 2017 team.
Boerne’s 2017 team was the only Lady Greyhounds soccer team to win a state semifinals match until this week when the 2024 group did it with a 2-1 overtime win over Salado.
Wednesday’s win put BHS in the state finals and the Lady Hounds were gunning for gold but had to settle for silver after Celina won the 4A title tilt 1-0.
Getting back to state after graduating so many players surprised senior Samantha Ramirez.
“We lost so many seniors last year but I watched this team build from the ground up,” she said. “I never would have thought we would have made it this far. We put so much effort into the season and I’m proud of everyone.”
Coach Jeremy Shannon said he knew they would be good and competitive but didn’t necessarily see the season ending with a silver- medal performance.
“I never thought in a million years we would make a state run and even play in the state championship game, but these girls came together and played their hearts out all year,” he said.
Celina is the team that has knocked BHS out of the playoffs in the state semifinals the last two years and went on to win it all both times. Thursday’s title makes it three in a row for them.
The 2024 version of the Bobcats proved to be accurate with their corner kicks and took five of them in the first half and almost scored on every one of them, but Boerne’s defense held up until the second half when Celina’s Grace Pritchard headed in a corner kick from Ryleigh Stifflemire in the 42nd minute.
“I’m always worried about corners; I don’t care who we’re playing because that ball can bounce any direction,” Shannon said. “They had one set up and we just didn’t mark the girl on the backside and gave her a free run at it but we played a heck of a game otherwise.”
Celina’s 1-0 lead off their header marked the only time in the postseason that Boerne trailed in regulation or overtime.
Thursday’s loss is only the second of the year for the Lady Hounds team that finish the season at 23-2-3.
Ramirez, Tommie Rand and Isabel Moreno are the only seniors on this year’s team. Ramirez has been to state three straight seasons and said this year’s appearance means the most to her.
“We overcame so many obstacles,” she said. “We didn’t even have a home field, but we pushed through everything.”
State semifinals Boerne 2, Salado 1 OT
Boerne advanced to the 4A state finals after defeating Salado in overtime Wednesday.
BHS took the 1-0 lead on an Avery Ukeiley unassisted goal at the 8:39 mark from 20 yards out.
The 1-0 held until late in the match when Salado’s Shelby Hollywood tied it with less than six minutes remaining in regulation after she scored an unassisted goal in the 74th minute.
From there, it went to overtime where the only goal came from the foot of Boerne’s Kailey Stringfellow who took a Sophia Namvar pass and knocked it in at the 88:15 mark. They still had to play a second overtime period but Boerne’s defense held.
The goal BHS surrendered to Salado was the first of the postseason in regulation or overtime.
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