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HOUSTON — Grapevine Faith earned its third straight TAPPS Division II boys state soccer title with a 2-1 win Saturday against Houston Awty International at St. Thomas High School.
Both teams scored on penalty kicks in the first half. Drake Reeves scored the goal for the Lions (23-2-0).
Having a strong wind at its back in the second half helped turned the tide in favor of Faith.
The Lions gained the winning score early after a pass from Michael Nolan to Conor Langenbahn.
“We were able to harness the wind and use it to our advantage,” Faith coach Matt McKinney said. “It allowed us to spread the field, work the ball around and play our game. We had several opportunities and controlled the pace of the game.”
Once the Lions had taken the lead in the second, they used a strong defensive effort to make it stand up.
McKinney commended the defensive play of Reeves, Dylan Ingle, Hunter Chastain, Mason McManus and freshman Reggie Cannon. McManus and Jordan Love are the lone seniors.
Faith played some of its best soccer of the season in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 11-2 over four games.
“This was by far the hardest of the three [state titles] because we had to keep them hungry and focused,” McKinney said. “It's a great feeling because they knew what they were capable of doing and what they were able to accomplish.”
Langenbahn, Reeves, McManus and Cannon also made the TAPPS all-tournament team.
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