Playoffs Start This Week for LG Soccer Teams

Leps Hope to Build On District Title

The La Grange boys soccer team had already clinched the district title heading into Tuesday’s regular season finale against Gonzales.

But the Leps added a little luster to that title, knocking off the Apaches 2-0 on a pair of goals by Salvador Aguirre-Cardenas.

“Last year I was nervous, this year I’m so confident,” said Aguirre-Cardenas, who is just a sophomore.

The Leps are now 16-6-2 overall and face Bellville on Friday, March 25 at Cub Stadium in Brenham at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the playoffs.

A district title didn’t always look like it was in the cards for the Leps this season, especially early as they adjusted to losing several stars from last year’s team for a variety of reasons.

“Winning district means a lot,” said Head Coach William McGonagle. “This group, from Day One, wanted to be good. Every excuse that they had, they just threw it out the window. They were young, a lot of guys were new to varsity, had a lot of turnover. At points we thought that people who were going to be there for us weren’t. It was like none of that made any sense to them. They just wanted to go out and play at a high level and work hard.

“It really shows what a team can be when they do those little things day in and day out. It’s awesome. They are a close group. They love each other. You can tell they truly care about each other. They really take pride in that.”

But can they keep it going in the playoffs?

“The playoffs are a different level of play,” McGonagle said. “It can be a very physical level of play, a very emotional level of play. This group is ready for the moment and I’m excited to see how far we can go.”

La Grange boys (16-6-2) vs. Bellville (9-9-4)

Playoff opener 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cub Stadium in Brenham

La Grange (12-5) girls vs. Navasota (14-7)

Playoff opener 7:30 p.m. Friday in Bellville at 7:30 p.m.