Trinity defeats Bell to clinch playoff berth

Online update: Trinity will play Midlothian in the bi-district round, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Pennington Field.

With the final girls soccer playoff spot on the line in District 7-6A, it came down to two schools – Trinity and L.D. Bell.

The two played Saturday at Trinity, and like any other district game, it was tight and contested, but the Lady Trojans sneaked past the Lady Raiders for a 2-1 victory and moved on to the bi-district round of the postseason, Friday against Midlothian.

Bell took the early advantage when it scored on a tough goal in the 20th minute, but fatigue kicked in as the Lady Raiders came off a game with Southlake Carroll last Friday night – another rescheduled affair due to inclement weather.

“No one wanted to come out. I had two seniors go down in the first half with injury, but came back in the second half,” Trinity coach Kurt Clawson said. “The underclassmen didn't want to let the seniors down, either.

“Nine of 12 players had their best games of the season. The team was clicking on all aspects.”

The Lady Trojans played close and were able to tie it when Kaycee West assisted Michelle Manceaux for their first goal 10 minutes after Bell scored. A back-and forth first half turned into a Trinity-controlling second half. Then, on a throw-in the 75th minute, Hannah Holder found West, who volleyed it into the corner of the net.

“I told the girls that this was like a playoff game, but you don't get a banner or trophy for this one,” Clawson said. “It was a lot of fun. The atmosphere was great, everyone was so pumped.”

Even with a tie, Trinity would advance, because the Lady Trojans had more points in the season. So the Lady Raiders needed to score twice in the final 15 minutes, but only mustered a couple of shots on goal.

Trinity will be looking for its first bi-district victory since 2012, when this year's senior class were freshmen. The Lady Trojans also won the first round in 2011 and 2007, all three times being a lower seed.

“This group of seniors have performed well in their careers, half of which have been four-year lettermen,” Clawson said. “They have worked hard the whole time. I told them they didn't want to finish their career losing to Bell at home in a situation like this.”

In 2011, Trinity was the fourth seed and defeated a first seed. One year later, the Lady Trojans knocked off the second seed. If history is to repeat itself, they'll have to beat a Midlothian, team that has gone several rounds deep in recent years.

“As a sophomore and in my first year, making playoffs with these girls has been a blast and it shows how much hard work and dedication we put in not only for the game, but for each other,” West said.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Trinity defeats Bell to clinch playoff berth."