Mustangs to face unfamiliar foe in bi-district round

The Grapevine boys soccer team qualified for the postseason and will have an interesting match up in the bi-district round.

The Mustangs will face Fort Worth South Hills, the winner of District 7-5A, which finished 17-4-1 on the regular season and tied for first place with Fort Worth Arlington Heights with an 11-3 district mark.

Grapevine and South Hills did not face each other during the regular season, but the Scorpions did play 8-5A champions Birdville, defeating the Hawks by a score of 3-1 on Jan. 20.

That was nearly two months ago, however, and Grapevine coach D.J. Hammonds said that the important thing is for the Mustangs to play well defensively.

“I expect a game similar to when we played the top three in our district,” Hammonds said. “It should fast-paced and physical. If we can defend well, it should allow us to be opportunistic.”

Hammonds said that he has been pleased with the way that his team has progressed throughout the season and with the growth he has seen from many of his players.

“This season has been good for our young team,” Hammonds said. “We have played opponents with a wide array of playing styles and abilities. Our players have grown each game and have began to scratch the surface of what they can be.”

The Mustangs were on a bit of skid as district competition came to an end, but Hammonds said he still feels good about the way his team is competing as the playoffs get set to get underway.

“We didn't get the results we wanted to the last four games of district, but we were competitive in all of them,” Hammonds said. “Each game taught us different lessons that should help us in the long run, if we apply what we learned.”

Hammonds said he would like to see his team make a few changes when the postseason starts to give itself a better chance of making a good playoff run.

“We need to be more clinical with our finishing,” Hammonds said. “We are creating enough chances and defending well enough to win each and every time we play.”

The bi-district game will be played at 6 p.m. on Friday at Farrington field in Fort Worth.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Mustangs to face unfamiliar foe in bi-district round."