Seven Lakes’ Noa Stasic (7) celebrates his goal during the first half of a Region III-6A boys semifinal soccer game at Abshier Stadium on Friday, April 5, 2024, in Deer Park.
Karen Warren/Staff photographer
The defending Class 6A boys soccer champions are one victory from returning to the state tournament.
Seven Lakes scored quickly and built a commanding halftime lead in a 4-1 win against Humble on Friday in the Region III-6A semifinals at Abshier Stadium.
The Spartans advance to the Region III-6A final seeking a third consecutive state tournament appearance. The match is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Abshier Stadium.
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Seven Lakes (22-1-2) wasted no time breaking ahead, with Kortay Koc working the right side of the box in the sixth minute and crossing to Noa Stasic in the middle for a 1-0 lead.
Humble (19-6-1) nearly answered moments later, but Aaron Rodriguez’s cross to Carlos Reyes was stopped by Seven Lakes goalkeeper Ben Aviles Vera. The Wildcats could not get a touch on the ensuing corner kick, or a shot on goal with two others.
The Spartans extended their lead in the 23rd minute on an unlikely scoring play, as Stasic and Humble keeper Ernesto Avila met chasing down a loose ball 30 yards from the goal. Stasic got a foot on it and the ball deflected downfield into the net.
“It was really nice,” Stasic said. “I feel like I’ve been working for it the whole season. To do it here, be back at regionals, is pretty special.”
Seven Lakes coach Jimmy Krueger said Stasic’s second goal provided welcome momentum and was reminiscent of Hunter Merritt’s key goal during last year’s championship run.
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“It’s what we really needed is to have something like that fall in our favor,” Krueger said. “It was just a pure hustle moment. We were on the benefit of that last year and it was a good spark for us to see it again.”
Humble had one of its best chances to score late in the first half, but a great pass to Eduardo Carvajal resulted in Vera’s fourth save.
Seven Lakes needed mere seconds to counter, with Koc finishing at the other end on a shot in the box for a 3-0 halftime lead.
“I think it was really big because 2-0 is a dangerous lead, especially going in,” Stasic said.
The Spartans pulled further away almost immediately out of the break, as Sean Carlos Rivera made it 4-0 less than a minute into the second half.
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“In this environment, releasing pressure is everything,” Krueger said. “That fourth goal that we got pretty early on did exactly that for the second half. The message anytime you’re up at halftime, the next 10 minutes are essential. This game’s about momentum swings and everything like that. That’s a talented team that has a lot of threatening players.”
The Spartans were stopped short of their 16th shutout of the season, as Lyon Hernandez put the Wildcats on the board in the 65th minute.
Seven Lakes continues another deep playoff run. The Spartans defeated Bush 7-0 and Spring Woods 3-0 before turning back District 19-6A foe Jordan on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw to return to the III-6A tournament.
The Spartans have scored more than 100 goals this season, due in part to a multitude of skilled scorers up front. Stasic, Koc and Aidan Morrison create a particularly dangerous trio.
“It’s really nice because if one of us pops off, or one of us does something special, they kind of focus on them,” Stasic said. “All three of us can just interchange and switch positions, so it’s pretty special.”
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Humble advanced to the regional semifinals for the second time in four seasons. The 2021 postseason did not include a traditional regional tournament due to COVID 19, but it was the Wildcats’ first semifinal since 1992.
One year after falling in the bi-district round, Humble matched Kingwood for the District 21-6A championship this year and defeated Channelview 3-0, Alief Taylor 1-0 and Strake Jesuit 3-0 as part of an eight-match winning streak to reach the III-6A tournament.
