It wasn't easy, but the Permian boys soccer team found a way to defeat El Paso Franklin in the bi-district round of the Class 6A state playoffs.
The Panthers defeated the Cougars 3-1 in overtime to win the bi-district title and advance to the area round of the playoffs on Tuesday night at Ratliff Stadium.
After both teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, Permian (15-5-4) won the game after goals from Johnny Cuellar and Luis Alamo broke the deadlock.
“Wow, what a game,” Permian head coach Luis Carmona said. “Both teams fought hard. Hats off to Franklin because they have a great team. We went up 1-0 and they are a quick team that breaks through and when you give them a chance they will take advantage of it and that's what they did. We didn't chase the second ball and they took a good shot. But we'll take it. We've been battling injuries, but the players have fought through injuries. . I couldn't be more proud of them.”
Franklin finished the season with a record of 14 wins, 9 losses, and 1 loss.
“It was a close game,” Hernandez said. “Both teams had chances to score. Permian was able to score, we weren't, so I believe he got the win. Plain and simple.”
In the first half, both teams created goal chances but were unable to find a breakthrough, and the game remained close.
Then, with 9:35 left in the first half, Permian was awarded a penalty.
Ernesto Melendez did not disappoint, converting the penalty kick to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
But Franklin found a way to tie the game just before the half when Jacob Talin found the back of the net with less than two minutes left.
“It was very important for us to score before halftime,” Hernandez said. “I told the team not to panic because we were a little off in the first half. We couldn't score in the second half.”
Both teams were tied 1-1 at intermission.
In the second half, Cuellar broke through and looked to score, but the offside whistle sounded with 29 minutes left in the game.
The Cougars had a chance to score on a corner kick, but it was ultimately denied by the Panthers, leaving the game tied.
The Cougars' shot on target was saved by Permian goaltender Enrique Cabello with 15 minutes remaining.
A few minutes later, he made another save as Franklin continued to attack late in the game.
Neither team could find a winner before the end of the regular 80 minutes.
Cuellar's goal with 3:35 left in the first half of overtime gave the Panthers a commanding lead.
“Man, that was a great accomplishment,” Cuellar said. “We outplayed them and when we made the shot on that turn it was great. It was beautiful.”
Alamo delivered a knockout punch with a goal late in overtime.
“It's pretty easy to adjust on the fly,” Carmona said. “We run six or seven different formations. They know how to move them and respond. We scored on the counter at the end, but it's a waste of time to isolate one-on-one. That was a problem. We have speed. We did a good job of controlling the ball and putting it in.”
The Panthers will play the winner of Belle Bleu vs. Keller Central in the area round on Friday at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene.
The time of that match has not yet been announced.
