Seven Lakes attacks early in the morning and passes through Pearland.

When Seven Lakes junior midfielder Maria Castro defied the wind to score the game's first goal Friday afternoon, she sent a message to Pearland in the Region III-6A girls soccer semifinals at Absher Stadium. There is no doubt about it.

When the Spartans repeated that feat a short time later, it was a chilling blow for the Oilers.

Seven Lakes (19-3-5) rode early momentum to a 3-0 victory and sent the Spartans to the district championship game Saturday at 11:30 a.m., a 19-6 district rival. I put him in a game against Jordan or Brazoswood.

“2-0 is always the most dangerous score in soccer, so I thought (Pearland) could make a comeback, but after going 3-0, I thought my hopes faded a little bit,” Castro said.

In fact, it was Castro, who assisted sophomore forward Anu Arona, who provided a comfortable cushion with the assist for Seven Lakes' second goal.

“I saw her wide open and I said just give her the ball because I knew she was going to score,” Castro said. “It was amazing.”

The Spartans did exactly what they were supposed to do, winning four straight and improving to 10-0-3 in their last 13 games.

Despite experiencing a breezy first half, Seven Lakes were clearly more aggressive and more effective in the attacking third of the field.

Castro's goal from inside the box in the 13th minute seemed decisive.

And just six minutes later, Castro and senior Sydney Hill moved the ball quickly on the right side, and Castro found Arona about 15 yards in front of the goal.

The talented sophomore then fired a shot past Pearland keeper Savannah Epting for a comfortable 2-0 advantage.

Pearland (19-4-3)'s offense was primarily limited to two corner kicks, both of which were well defended. The last scoring chance of the first half came on an indirect kick from 37 yards by senior Audrey Cooper, but Seven Lakes keeper Carly Drescher took a knee to negate the attempt.

As if the 2-0 lead at halftime wasn't enough, junior defender Kennedy Reed sealed the victory with a header in the 48th minute.

“At halftime, we knew we had to score one more goal to seal the game and prove we deserved to be here,” Reid said. “Pearland had a great season with a great team, so we knew he had to play the whole game.

“Coach (Caitlin Eidson) told us at halftime to keep our foot on the gas and win 50-50 balls. Our chemistry has gotten so good since the beginning of the year. We all want what's best for each other.”

Unfortunately for Pearland coach Elise Cox, she saw Seven Lakes take an early lead.

“Seven Lakes was very organized and wanted to put the ball away,” Cox said. “I'm very proud of what my girls have done so far. We let our guard down a little bit with the second goal, but after that we said there was no pressure. We just wanted to finish strong.” ”

Eidson was elated with the win, but even more pleased with his team's progress.

“Like in August when it's 100 degrees outside, we've got to talk about this whole season, working on strength and conditioning,” Eidson said. “This is all part of a process that we've steadily improved on. “Obviously, success isn't a straight line. But this team has done well in terms of making adjustments and analysis and applying it on the field. , was very coachable. It's (the players) who put it together on the field. We want to keep moving forward.”