SMHS BOYS SOCCER
The Rattlers historic season came to a heartbreaking end as San Marcos fell to the Del Rio Rams in penalty kicks 5-4 after being tied at 1-1.
The Rattlers and Head Coach Conrado Reyes finished with an 8-13-2 overall record and qualified for the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in 30 years after breaking a 14-year playoff drought the season before.
“They play well, and they play with their hearts,” Reyes said. [That’s] all I asked for them. Probably one of the best teams ever to come to San Marcos High School. It’s one of those things that it was unfortunate it came down to penalties, but I think tonight we’re a better team.”
Going into the game, the Rattlers were focused on playing their brand of soccer against a Del Rio team that captured the District 30 district championship.
“Overall we just… [are] who we are,” Reyes said. “The message for the guys tonight was we know who we are, what we represent and play our style of soccer. That’ll get us to where we wanna be.”
The first half saw the Rattlers limit the Del Rio offense by giving them zero shots on goal and holding possession for the majority of the half.
San Marcos appeared to have scored the first goal in the game with 19 minutes in the first half, but the officials called for offsides.
At halftime, the score was still knotted at 0-0.
After stressing the Del Rio defense all night, the Rattlers finally found the back of the net. Freshman forward Kayden Contra delivered the shot past the goalkeeper in the 18th minute of the second half, giving the Rattlers a 1-0 lead.
Unfortunately for San Marcos, the lead did not last long. Del Rio advanced the ball deep into Rattler territory before being fouled inside the penalty box. Awarded the penalty kick, the Rams scored in the 17th minute of the second half, tying the game back up at 1-1.
The Rattlers once again looked to regain the lead but were unable to find another goal despite their best efforts. The San Marcos defense locked down the Del Rio offense who were unable to score.
Del Rio had one last chance to win the game in overtime with seconds left, but the shot hit off the crossbar, sending the game into OT.
In overtime, both the Rattlers and the Rams tried their nab the crucial goal but were denied by their respective defenses.
With the score still deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of overtime, the game went into a penalty shootout.
The Rattlers scored first in the shootout with Max Guzman scoring the first goal before Del Rio answered back with a goal of their own.
Goalkeeper Diego Hernandez answered back with a goal of his own before turning around and making the save to give San Marcos the advantage.
Moses Aguilar scored for the Rattlers while Del Rio bounced back to score again with San Marcos still leading the shootout at 3-2.
The Rattlers missed their shot attempt while Del Rio scored again, tying the shootout at 3-3. Joshua Guzman gave the Rattlers another goal while Del Rio again answered back, tying it at 4-4.
Going into the final stages of the shootout, San Marcos was unable to score while Del Rio kicked the final goal to seal the win and the shootout at 5-4.
But despite the loss, Reyes is still proud of his team and the seniors that helped build the foundation for the boys soccer program.
“This was my first freshman group when I got here,” Reyes said. “Normally it takes time for you to set the foundation, but I think the lasting legacy for these guys is they were able to achieve something that hadn’t been done in 30 years with back to back playoff appearances. Those guys are special to me, everyone at San Marcos High School and that’s a part of the Rattler soccer team. Their legacy will always be for sure a hallmark of what San Marcos soccer is now.”
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
