by Tobias Lopez - Fort Worth Star Telegram
Sometimes soccer is a cruel, cruel agent of evil. The Mansfield Legacy boys suffered a tough loss in the Class 4A Region I final, not by falling to superior talent but by giving the match away. An unfortunate bit of miscommunication on a routine defensive pass-back allowed El Paso High to steal a 1-0 victory Saturday and the trip to the state tournament.
"My compliments to El Paso; they played extremely hard, but one mistake in the back cost us the game," Legacy coach Aaron Cottrell said. "We had a heck of season being in the regional final two years in a row."
Early in the match, Legacy (22-5-1) looked sure of a return trip to the state tournament as the Broncos dictated play throughout the midfield at Wichita Falls' Memorial Stadium. However, the one weakness to Legacy's game this season has been the inability to finish quality opportunities.
El Paso (23-4-1) stuck around and finally snagged the game's only goal with 10:31 left in regulation. Tigers forward Marco Cordova pounced on a misplayed backpass and slipped in the winner.
Cordova only entered the match after forward Angel Orozco was ejected when he picked up a second yellow card with 18:55 remaining. El Paso coach Grey Godfrey said Legacy's size advantage intimidated his squad for the first 30 minutes or so, as the Tigers struggled just to get the ball out of their own half of the field.
Meanwhile, Legacy pounded the Tigers' goal with shots, corner kicks and deep throw-ins, including one shot off the crossbar. The Broncos outshot El Paso 12-3 in the opening half. However, after the break El Paso gained confidence and balanced play more so than in the opening 40 minutes.