Six Austin-area high school soccer teams will head to Georgetown for the state tournament after four girls and two boys teams won regional championships on Saturday.
The Vandegrift and Glenn boys teams will join the Westlake, Rouse, Hendrickson and Salado girls teams on the field at Birkelbach Stadium.
Westlake suffered its first loss of the season, 2-0, to San Antonio Taft, but lightning struck twice in Class 5A, with district runner-up Hendrickson and Rouse defeating district champion Georgetown and Leander and Salado. defeated Life Waxahachie. The Glen boys team defeated Brownsville Lopez in the regional final, and Vandegift defeated Edinburg North.
Westlake (16-4-2) has won eight straight games. Sophomore goalie Sophia Martin recorded her second straight district shutout, and Kate Grannis scored Westlake's two goals with two assists from standout Carter Utkoff.
“We're very excited to be going to state next week,” Westlake coach Darcy Carruthers said. “I couldn't be more proud of this team. Everything they've done together, they've done it with all their heart. Every player on our roster has been instrumental in this playoff success. It was a lot of fun and I love watching them play. It's not over yet. There are two more left.”
The Chaps reached their peak at the perfect time, using a tenacious defense with a solid attacking line and skilled ball control in the midfield. And Martin, in his first year as a starter, had a great performance in net.
The Class 5A girls district final was a bit of a revenge tour as both district champions entered the final with 1-0-1 records against their district foes, but the second-place team found the magic to win. Ta. Rouse defeated Leander 3-0 as Ashley Perez, JJ Arellano and Shelby Wilson each scored solo goals to send the Raiders to state.
“My players are great young women and I'm so proud that they call me their coach,” Rouse's Corey Elrod said.
The Hawks defeated the Eagles 3-2, and Hendrickson defeated Georgetown in another heartbreaking victory. Kayleigh McKinley scored twice, including a penalty kick, Eva Black added a goal and Araceli Patterson had an assist.
Salado defeated Life Waxahachie to improve to 30-1 and advance to the Class 4A state girls tournament.
In the Class 5A boys district tournament, Glenn defeated Brownsville Lopez 2-0, with Tito Donjuan and John Gomez scoring and Keller Merchant getting a shutout. The Grizzlies remained undefeated and advanced to the Class 5A state tournament. In Class 6A, Vandegrift shut out Edinburg North 3-0 as Charlie Reed had a shutout and Emmy Aranda, Luke Hawley and Jason Panoff each had a goal.
The six teams appearing in the state tournament is the most in Central Texas football history. Leander and Georgetown finished as regional finalists, while Round Rock and Giddings advanced to the regional semifinals.