Jacksonville soccer secures wins over Wildcats, LadyCats
Feb. 21—Girls Soccer
PALESTINE — The District 16-4A leaders faced off at Wildcat Stadium in Palestine Tuesday night where Jacksonville came away with a 5-1 victory over the LadyCats.
At the halfway point of the conference schedule, Jacksonville (12-3-1, 7-0) leads the LadyCats (12-5-3, 6-1) by a game.
The two rivals will close out the regular season March 19 by meeting in Jacksonville.
Palestine came into play Tuesday ranked No. 21 in Class 4A, according to this week's Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 4A poll, while the Maidens were not ranked.
Victoria Villanueva and Lauren Wade scored two goals each for Jacksonville, with Evelyn Lara accounting for the additional Jacksonville score.
Emily Barerra was the winning goal keeper of record for the Maidens, who extended their win streak to eight Tuesday.
The Palestine LadyCats will be on the road to face the Diboll Lady Lumberjacks later this week, with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at Diboll High School.
Boys Soccer
JACKSONVILLE-The Class 4A No. 8 Palestine Wildcats (15-3-0) faced the No. 4 Jacksonville Indians Tuesday night in a battle of the heavyweights, but when the dust cleared, the Indians walked away with a 4-0 victory and a commanding lead in district.
The game was back and forth for the first 30 minutes until Jacksonville broke through, scoring three goals in six minutes. The Indians added a fourth score in the second half to close the score sheet out.
The Wildcats will also travel for a showdown with the Lumberjacks, and will play in the early game slot. Kickoff between the Lumberjacks and Wildcats is set for 5 p.m., Feb. 23, at Diboll High School.
Jay Neal of the Jacksonville Progress, and Jonathan Ryal, head junior varsity soccer coach for Palestine Wildcats, contributed to this article.
