Long Creek falls to La Vernia 1-0, caps historic girls soccer season

Long Creek High School’s girls soccer team saw its landmark season come to a close Tuesday night, absorbing a 1-0 second-round defeat to La Vernia that ended the deepest playoff run in program history. The match’s lone goal arrived in the ninth minute, a moment Lady Dragons head coach Abigail Palomino believes set the tone for the night.

“We came out soft in the first 15 minutes,” Palomino said. “We’re a young squad, so the importance of that first 15 and last 15 are huge, and I don’t think we came out as strong as we needed to.”

Long Creek regrouped after the break, controlling possession and manufacturing a flurry of chances. Freshman forward Shayla Silva spearheaded the attack with multiple shots on target, while junior midfielder Mady Benson anchored the middle of the park. Sophomore outside back Kericia Rico also drew praise for an aggressive, high-tempo performance that helped pin La Vernia deep in its own half.

“She started stepping to the player quicker, making moves, working up the field a lot faster and connecting passes,” Palomino said of Rico. “She went in headfirst into every play.”

Despite the surge, La Vernia’s goalkeeper denied each attempt, and the five-back defensive scheme the Bears deployed limited second-chance opportunities. Long Creek, accustomed to facing traditional four-back alignments, struggled to find seams through the extra defender, while La Vernia’s swift counterattacks—many funneled through the influential No. 18—kept the Lady Dragons honest until the final whistle.

The narrow loss closes a campaign that already rewrote school records. Long Creek earned a top-four district finish against a slate of regional powers, then captured the first playoff victory in the program’s brief existence. With all but one player—an international transfer—expected back, Palomino sees the defeat as a springboard rather than an endpoint.

“Playoffs are hard because you have seniors graduating and you’re losing a leadership group,” she noted. “Going into next season, being able to establish this at such a young age—now they become what you call seasoned veterans.”

Off-season plans center on building chemistry after a year spent shuttling to New Braunfels Middle School for practice once football season ended. Early-season workouts were staged in the outfield of the softball diamond while the school’s soccer facilities were under construction. Palomino believes the completion of on-campus amenities will accelerate development.

“We’re returning everyone,” she said. “Once our facilities are there, that’s going to help us a ton.”

For a roster loaded with freshmen and sophomores, Tuesday’s setback provided a crash course in playoff intensity. The Lady Dragons trailed by a single goal against an experienced opponent, created multiple chances, and walked off the pitch certain they had left everything on the field.

“We went down swinging,” Palomino said. “They weren’t happy with how they played in the first half, and that kind of shifted their mindset. They took that seriously and said, ‘Hey, let’s go.’”

Although the season ended earlier than hoped, Long Creek’s breakthrough year has laid a foundation the program hopes will produce deeper postseason runs in the very near future.