Grapevine Faith boys drop TAPPS Division II soccer final, 2-0

Ross Brown scored just four minutes into the game and added a second in the 68th minute as Houston Village downed Grapevine Faith 2-0 in the TAPPS Division II state final Friday at Wheatley Heights Sports Complex in San Antonio.

“I’m proud of the way we fought. We just didn’t have it. It seemed like our guys were struggling to find the energy level that we normally play with, but they dug deep and kept fighting,” Faith coach Matt McKinney said.

It’s the second straight state title for the Vikings (21-1). Faith (15-5-2) won four consecutive titles between 2011 and 2014.

Already trailing 1-0, the Lions could have been down more if not for a pair of quality saves from goalkeeper Matthew Hughes in the 34th and 38th minutes. McKinney said his team eventually settled in and started to play its game. But a turnover in the back led to the Vikings’ second goal in the 68th minute, on a low shot from Brown from about 15 yards away.

Hughes “was huge to give us a chance,” McKinney said. “That’s all we ask of him is to give us a chance to do something on the other end and he did that. It just wasn’t our night.”

“It’s easy to be disappointed when you don’t win the final one, but only one team gets to,” McKinney said. “We have nothing to be ashamed about. We can hold our heads up high. We had a great year. We got further than a lot of people expected us to. The team came together at the right time and played great. I’m super proud of them.”

Faith will lose four senior starters from this year’s squad.

“We have a great core,” McKinney said. “We have young players on the bench fighting to get in and have their chance. The future is still bright.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Grapevine Faith boys drop TAPPS Division II soccer final, 2-0."