The Colony Boys Look to Finish Job at State
Published 4/10/2008 8:17:32 AM by staff from dallas morning news
From the Dallas Morning News -- The Colony boys soccer coach Darren Bailey will not be giving his team any reality checks after this improbable run to the UIL state tournament. "They are an extremely hot team and they are dangerous and brimming with confidence," Bailey said. "To bring them down to earth at this time wouldn't be a very good idea." So forget for a moment that The Colony lost three of its first five matches, finished third in District 14-4A, won two playoff games in shootouts, hadn't made the playoffs since 2001 and had never advanced past the regional quarterfinals until this year. To bring logic into this wouldn't make any sense. "We joked at the beginning of the season that we were going to state," said senior forward Jason Guehler, the team's leader in goals (44) and assists (28). "But I don't think any of us really believed it because we knew it was going to be very difficult." There certainly weren't any believers when The Colony opened district with a 2-1 loss to Little Elm on Jan. 14. "We thought it would be an easy win," senior midfielder Tyler Murray said. "But we learned that we needed to put in a lot more effort." Then The Colony got serious, going 6-0-3 in district before losing to Frisco on Feb. 26. One of the wins was 6-1 against Little Elm on Feb. 19. The Colony finished behind Frisco and Richardson Pearce in the district. The Colony defeated McKinney, which was coming off a 4-0 playoff victory against Frisco, in a shootout in the regional quarterfinals. Then The Colony beat Mesquite Poteet, the 15-4A champion and SportsDay's No. 1 area 4A team, in the Region II final. It's been quite a ride for Bailey, who is stepping down after 15 seasons at The Colony to become an assistant golf coach at Flower Mound. His players wear T-shirts in his honor, and they've enjoyed giving him his biggest coaching thrill. "That's been one of our biggest motivations," senior forward Chris Guest said. "He's been like a dad to us all these years, and it feels good to pay him back." The Colony vs. Brenham
4 p.m. Friday
The Colony (16-5-4): The Colony is in the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and is making its state tournament debut. Senior F Jason Guehler set school season records for goals (44) and assists (28). Guehler has 10 of The Colony's 13 goals in the playoffs. Junior GK Alex Akrawi's 15 wins is also a school record.
Brenham (22-2-2): Brenham, still seeking its first state title, has qualified for the fourth time and for the first time since 2004. Brenham has lost twice in the final. Junior F Estarlin Pereira-Celis had the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against Nacogdoches in the Region III-4A final.
Label: The Colony soccer, Alex Akrawi, Jason Guehler, Tyler Murray
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