West Texas FC Defeats Laredo Heat SC 5-1 to Advance in Lone Star Conference Playoffs
By West Texas FC
Under the bright lights of Astound Broadband Stadium on a beautiful, dry West Texas evening, West Texas FC continued its monumental home run against a formidable Laredo Heat SC side, beating them 5-1.
The game started out with two impressive goals from Antoine Marques. Both were the result of brilliant assists from Luke McCormick. The next goal saw captain Olivier Correa display an artful handling of the ball, splitting two defenders before netting the third goal for West Texas. The fourth goal came from one of the more astounding feats of personal skill by Correa to beat five Laredo defenders single handedly before serving up the ball on a platter for Luke McCormick to put away.
McCormick was again involved in the last goal for West Texas FC, making a lung-busting run down the pitch before placing the ball in the path of Ethan Stevenson. Then Stevenson sneaked it past the Laredo keeper for a 5-0 lead.
Even being down by five goals, Laredo Heat SC never stopped pushing and earned themselves a goal in the second half from midfielder Mere Escobar. In the end, West Texas FC won themselves another home playoff game to be played on Saturday, July 13.
This impressive display from West Texas FC comes on the heels of an impressive run for the leaders of the Lone Star Conference. West Texas won their last five games, which were all at home, while outscoring their opponents by 20 points.
In the previous game against Laredo, which was played in Laredo, the Heat beat West Texas FC 2-0 in one of two losses West Texas had this season. This loss came on the heels of a very frustrating tie to FC Brownsville with their opponent scoring a last-minute equalizer. It was a tough road trip for the sky blues, but upon their return home they were determined to not lose another game. They have thus far held that promise.
Not only have they enjoyed a streak of winning games, they have also been absolutely dominating the opposition, having now beaten every team in the Lone Star Conference at least once. Their current form, particularly at home, is an impressive display of individual skill and teamwork. Goals have been in abundance this season and have come from multiple sources. A cornerstone of the team’s success is their relentless style of play. West Texas has found their footing, overwhelming opponents on the defensive end and then immediately attacking with ruthless speed and direct play.
In the playoff match against Laredo, fans enjoyed seeing head coach David Ormiston pushing the team on to continue working hard, even after leading the match 5-0. The system put in place by Ormiston and his coaching staff has clearly been adopted by every single member of the squad, and it is evident that the team has found the right balance of ingredients to prove a devastating opponent to face.
West Texas FC will now host Denton Diablos FC in the Lone Star Conference Final. Denton is coming off a win over FC Brownsville in extra time on Wednesday evening. The two teams have squared off twice this season already.
In the first game, Denton proved too much for West Texas and handed the team their first of two losses this season. The second game has already reached mythical status for West Texas FC supporters. Following a travel delay, the kickoff for the game didn’t commence until 10:30 pm. The Midland faithful waited the extra three hours for the game, which increased the intensity and desire for revenge against the Diablos. The first half of that game showed two teams playing full-throttle soccer, ultimately leading to a 2-2 draw at the half.
The second half, however, was a very different story. West Texas FC found another gear and ended up winning the game 6-3 to raucous applause under the Midland lights. The stage is set for another exciting game this Saturday to see who will emerge as the champions of the Lone Star Conference and who will be moving on in the playoffs.
Photo Credit: Chris Hadorn/West Texas FC
