Mansfield Legacy’s historic season falls short against Highland Park in 5A state title game
Highland Park scored twice in a six-minute span early in the second half to beat Mansfield Legacy 2-0 in the Class 5A state championship game Saturday at Birkelbach Field.
It was Legacy’s first title game appearance and also the first time any team from Mansfield ISD reached the state tournament.
The Scots won their second state title in three years, and seventh overall in program history, which sets a new UIL record for girls and boys soccer.
“Highland Park was the better team today; they’re fantastic,” Legacy coach Zachary Hallak said. “My girls worked so hard throughout the season. It’s not the result we wanted, but we’re happy we were here, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls.”
Highland Park found the back of the net in the 43rd minute when University of Texas commit Presley Echols passed to a cutting Megan O’Neal, who slid in the goal from inside the box to beat Legacy senior goalkeeper Tatum Krueger.
The Scots put the pressure on when they scored six minutes later in the 49th minute to lead 2-0. Junior Sydney Cox assisted on a Maja Davison goal. Davison, who’s a sophomore committed to Georgetown, scored from 10 yards out.
Davison was named state title game MVP with one goal on six shots, three on goal.
Legacy, which beat Drippings Springs 4-1 in Thursday’s semifinals, recorded four shots on goal, one from Sam Houston State signee Kamryn Blevins and three from senior Ashley Perez, who will head to Dallas Baptist.
Krueger, who will join Blevins at SHSU, made four saves.
“Our goal at the start the year was state, and that’s all we were focused on,” said Krueger, who finishes the year with 21 shutouts. “We accomplished that, and I told the girls we needed to keep our heads up coming off that field.
“We made history, and we’re excited to go back to Mansfield and see all the people that supported us this season.”
Legacy finishes with a 26-2-2 record. Highland Park ends at 26-1-3.
“We wanted to leave a legacy and a create a path for the teams behind us, and the girls did,” Hallak said. “They beat that regional curse and continued to lay the foundation for the teams in the next few seasons.”
The Scots out-shot Legacy 18-4 with 10 shots coming after intermission. Michelle Weign made four saves.
This story was originally published April 20, 2019 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Mansfield Legacy’s historic season falls short against Highland Park in 5A state title game."