FW Trimble Tech locks up District 14-4A boys soccer title

By Shawn Smajstrla

Special to the Star-Telegram

Fort Worth Trimble Tech clinched the District 14-4A title Wednesday night with a 3-0 victory over Diamond Hill-Jarvis, which entered the game in second place in the district.

“We’ve got a good team; the boys work real hard,” Trimble Tech coach Oscar Cruz said. “We’ve got a good definition as far as teamwork, and we just want to keep up that spirit.”

Trimble Tech (15-1-1, 9-0 in 14-4A) is only one game from an undefeated district record.

“They definitely surpassed my expectations,” Cruz said of his team. “I knew that we had talent and we had the potential and that’s what I told them. We just keep going at it, and I keep telling them just chip away and chip away every game, and so far it’s turning out OK.”

For Diamond Hill-Jarvis (19-6, 6-3), the task becomes securing the second seed from the district.

“I think we can advance in the playoffs for sure,” Eagles coach Dan Russell said. “We’re fighting for second place now. We don’t want to end up in that third spot and have to play a North Side or South Hills on the other side. We’ve got to win our next game.”

The first 30 minutes of this game were played largely between the penalty areas, but the game opened up in the last 10 minutes of the first half. In the 31st minute, Tech’s Francisco Galicia fired a powerful shot from about 25 yards out that tested Diamond Hill keeper Jason Sanchez.

Three minutes later, Galicia opened the scoring on a corner kick. Jose Alcala delivered from the right side and Galicia lost his marker for a free header into the top left of the net for a 1-0 Tech lead.

Three minutes after that, Galicia provided the assist that doubled the Bulldogs’ lead. He slotted a through ball behind the Diamond Hill defense that Armando Romero ran onto and slipped in for the 2-0 lead.

A minute later, Izzy Peneloza had the Eagles’ best chance of the half when he fired a low, hard shot from 20 yards out that missed just right. The Eagles had another opportunity denied just as time was expiring in the first half as Luis Reyes’ blast from the right side of the penalty area was pushed wide by Bulldogs keeper Giovan Garcia.

Nestor Luna made it 3-0 with a fine individual effort in the 54th minute, dribbling past several Diamond Hill defenders outside the left edge of the penalty area before firing past Sanchez.

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