STATE SOCCER: Katy falls in semifinal; The Woodlands downs Clear Lake

By DAVE PURPURA
The Athlete's Connection

The Katy boys soccer team’s improbable ride to state ended Friday.
Five-time state champion Plano, making its first state tournament appearance in nine years, shut out the Tigers 3-0 in the first of two 5A semifinals Friday afternoon at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.
The Tigers, who had played three consecutive overtime games to earn their first state berth, managed to get a few good scoring chances early in the second half but few in other parts of the game.
Katy finished 17-4-5. They defeated perennial powers Strake Jesuit, Kingwood and Elsik in the first three rounds of the postseason, then ousted undefeated Clements in the regional semifinals and survived Westside in a shootout in the regional final.
Plano (24-3-5) will play Klein Oak or Brownsville Lopez in the state championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday. Oak and Lopez played Friday’s second semifinal.
The Wildcats came out the aggressor and took a 1-0 lead just less than 18 minutes in, when Danny Hahn scored off a Ryan Brown assist. It was only the third regulation goal the Tigers had allowed this postseason.
The Wildcats stayed quicker in the second half and finally punched in an insurance goal with about eight minutes left, when Andrew Von Woesik tucked his shot into the side of the net of an assist from Dillon Powers.
Powers, a Notre Dame signee, netted Plano’s third goal with five minutes left.

GIRLS: The Woodlands 2, Clear Lake 0
Kylie Cook and Kelsey Bass scored for the Highlanders (27-1-3), who didn’t allow the Falcons a shot on goal and handed Lake (22-1-4) its first loss of the year.
Cook scored from about 20 yards away with less than 14 minutes left in the first half, then Bass added the insurance with 10 minutes to go.
The Highlanders were the only team to shut out the Falcons this year. They did it twice, the first time in a scoreless tie in the Kilt Cup in early January.
The Woodlands will play Coppell in the girls final at 4 p.m. Saturday. Coppell knocked off nationally-ranked San Antonio Reagan 1-0, scoring in the final minute of the second overtime.
---
Dave Purpura can be reached at (281) 404-4958 or dpurpura@athletesconnection.com.