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St. Michael's boys soccer falls in TAPPS DII state title game

colby gordon, austin american-statesman
·2 min read
St. Michael's defenders clear the ball away from their goal during Friday's 1-0 loss to Brownsville St. Joseph in the TAPPS Division II boys state championship match at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex. It was St. Michael's first trip to the state tournament.
St. Michael's defenders clear the ball away from their goal during Friday's 1-0 loss to Brownsville St. Joseph in the TAPPS Division II boys state championship match at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex. It was St. Michael's first trip to the state tournament.

ROUND ROCK — St. Michael’s soccer made program history with its playoff run, but came up short of the ultimate prize.

Advancing to a TAPPS state championship game for the first time since 2004, the Crusaders lost 1-0 to Brownsville St. Joseph in the Division II boys final Friday at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex. Bloodhounds forward Diego Saldana tracked down a long ball over the top of the defense and finished a goal in the 68th minute for the only goal.

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“It’s hard to play two games in that short of a time span,” said St. Michael’s coach Patrick Miller, whose team defeated Grapevine Faith Christian 2-1 in the semifinals on Thursday afternoon. “(St. Joseph) was a really physical opponent and played really hard. But I’m proud of our guys for fighting until the end. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t put the ball in the net.”

The match was even in terms of scoring chances and ball possession through the first 60 minutes, with St. Michael’s (18-5-1) receiving quality play from forwards Christopher Wheeler and Ben Brophy and defender Benjamin Hoang. St. Joseph’s had the better run of play for the final stretch, though Crusaders goalie Colin McCrea made a couple of nice saves to keep St. Michael’s within striking distance.

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St. Michael's coach Patrick Miller talks to his team during halftime. The Crusaders fell to Brownsville St. Joseph 1-0 in Friday's Division II championship match of the TAPPS boys state soccer tournament in Round Rock. "We played as a team together, and it's been fun on our good days and bad days," he said afterward.
St. Michael's coach Patrick Miller talks to his team during halftime. The Crusaders fell to Brownsville St. Joseph 1-0 in Friday's Division II championship match of the TAPPS boys state soccer tournament in Round Rock. "We played as a team together, and it's been fun on our good days and bad days," he said afterward.

“I felt like we had more of the ball, and the game played in our hands the way we wanted it to for the majority of the time,” Miller said. “I think we could have prevented some things that we let happen. They’re a good team and deserve the credit. They played well.”

Defender Juan Resendiz joined Brophy, Wheeler and Hoang in earning all-tournament honors for the Crusaders.

Hoang noted he appreciated how the team played all season.

“This was probably the best out of all my four years just because of how well we moved the ball,” he said. “We played as a team all together, and it’s been fun on our good days and bad days. … Just being here at state and getting further than we have meant a lot.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: St. Michael's falls in TAPPS DII state final