It really doesn’t matter which Denton school it’s facing that is not named Denton High. Northwest Byron Nelson’s girls soccer program just struggles.
Last year, the Lady Bobcats couldn’t make it work against Denton Ryan. This year, it’s Denton Guyer. On March 5, Guyer defeated Nelson, 2-1, and swept the season series in District 11-4A play. It pretty much assured Guyer of at least a share of the district championship but the No. 1 playoff seed. Guyer won the first meeting, 4-1, last month.In 2012, the Lady Bobcats (20-2, 6-2 in District 11-4A) were swept by Denton Ryan. What’s bizarre about the Guyer matchups is that Guyer is one of only two teams to score more than one goal in a match against Nelson. Tomball is the other. It scored two in Nelson’s 3-2 win in January at the Brazos Valley Cup tournament.“It was a frustrating game,” coach Phillip Salyer said. “We made two mental mistakes that really cost us. And you can’t do that against a good team. For the most part, we played them well, except for what happened.“We know the top seed is not in reach. But the second seed is a good seed, and that’s what we’re fighting for now.”With spring break, the district is off this week. Play resumes the following Tuesday with a very important home match against Birdville. The Lady Bobcats need to win in order to secure that berth. They have 12 points. The Lady Hawks (5-2-1) have 11 points. A tie makes the March 22 home finale against Argyle even that much more important.Nelson kept its edge because it dominated an outmanned Denton team last Friday, 4-0. Of course, it was a game Nelson was expected to win since Denton is winless (0-8). However, Salyer was looking for more than that.“Really, since our first loss to Guyer, we’ve been playing our best soccer,” Salyer said. “Even in the second game, you just learn from those things. You can’t play a great game but then make some mistakes. That’s what we have to do in the playoffs – play a complete game. They did bounce back against Denton and had a good attitude.”One back, one outAlthough Marchelle Davis is back from her concussion, senior forward Lynnsey Brim is now sidelined.Brim suffered a hamstring strain during the loss to Guyer and did not play in the win over Denton. Salyer said that he hopes to have her back for the Birdville match. The injury comes as a result of potential overuse. Brim, who is among the team scoring leaders with 11 goals, also runs track. In her absence, Salyer mixed and matched other player in her absence.“This is the time for her to stay off it and just give it some rest,” Salyer said. “Maybe the time off is coming at the right time for us. We’re definitely not trying to rush anything.”Northwest updateThe Lady Texans (4-14-3, 4-6-1 in District 4-5A) struggled in a 5-1 loss to Carroll this past Friday. That weakened their hopes to stay in the playoffs. But it certainly didn’t severely damage them.Northwest’s final three games are against teams it trails in the standings, Keller Timber Creek on Monday, Richland this coming Tuesday and Keller Central on March 22. But the Lady Texans pretty much have to collect two wins in order to have a chance.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
