Southlake Carroll girls can’t solve Forney; Dragons fall short in state bid

AUSTIN — All season long Southlake Carroll had rolled through opponents behind a stingy defense, crisp possession and the confidence that accompanies a No. 1 state ranking. On Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, the Dragons finally ran into a team that refused to let them play that game. A relentlessly pressing Forney side, led almost entirely by sophomores and juniors, turned the Class 6A Division II state semifinal into a 1-0 victory that snapped Carroll’s 26-match unbeaten streak and ended the Dragons’ championship dream.

The Jackrabbits (28-1-0) set the tone from the opening whistle, hounding Carroll ball-carriers in every third of the field and forcing hurried clearances that rarely escaped the defensive half. Forney’s eight first-half shots reflected that territorial dominance, yet the Dragons (26-1-1) weathered the storm and nearly struck against the run of play in the 40th minute. Audrey Anderson’s inswinging corner found Mariana Auns unmarked at the penalty spot, but goalkeeper Cinnamon Hurst parried the header. Peyton Hayes pounced on the rebound only to see a wall of white jerseys scramble the chance away and preserve the scoreless deadlock at the break.

The deadlock lasted just eight minutes after intermission. Pressing high once more, sophomore Addison Staats dispossessed a Carroll midfielder, sprinted 30 yards down the left channel and whipped a low cross that bisected the retreating back line. Kalani Brundage arrived alone at the near post and steered the ball past a helpless Sophie Adcock, igniting the Forney sideline and thrusting the underdogs in front.

Carroll, which had conceded only eight goals all season, suddenly needed two to survive. The Dragons pushed numbers forward and controlled the final 20 minutes, out-shooting Forney 9-2 over the last quarter of the match. Anderson twice created danger from dead-balls: in the 76th minute her service skimmed off Macie Colvin’s boot and drifted inches wide, and two minutes later Colvin lashed a half-clearance toward the upper corner, only for Hurst to spring horizontally and paw the effort around the post.

A handball in the 67th minute offered Hayes a 20-yard free kick, but her driven attempt slammed into the Forney wall. Each subsequent Carroll surge ran into a packed defense that surrendered space on the flanks but refused to concede a clean look inside the arc.

“They did a fantastic job the last 20 minutes of just managing the game,” Dragons coach Matt Colvin said of Forney. “Getting numbers behind the ball and not giving us clear shots. I don’t think we had too many clear chances in the second half.”

The loss halts a historic campaign for Southlake Carroll, whose only previous blemish was a January draw. It also sends Forney to the program’s first state title match, where the Jackrabbits will meet undefeated Kingwood (26-0-2) next Saturday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.

Despite the abrupt ending, Colvin praised a roster that believed from day one it would play for a trophy.

“All across the roster, every one of them thought that we would hoist the trophy at the end of the year,” he said. “When you have belief like that, you’re going to have a good season.”

On this night, belief belonged to Forney, and the Dragons had no answer.