LC-M advances past Liberty 2-0 in Bi-district play
Marcos Gerardo of Liberty outraces the LC-M player on Friday night in playoff action. The Vindicator | Jerry Michalsky
Liberty’s Jorge Rangel fights for the ball against this LC-M player on Friday night in Winnie. The Vindicator | Jerry Michalsky
Liberty’s Brayan Montes looks for an angle against LC-M on Friday night at Buccaneer Stadium in Winnie. The Vindicator | Jerry Michalsky
The intensity and physical play always pick up in soccer when playoff time rolls around.
On Friday night at Buccaneer Stadium in Winnie, Liberty met the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears in a Class 4A Region III Bi-district contest.
After a scoreless first half, the Bears scored early in the second half and then added insurance on a controversial penalty kick with two minutes left to take a 2-0 win.
LC-M moves on to play Columbia in the Area Championship game.
The Panthers had some chances in the first half but could not find the net.
Brayan Montes took a couple of shots on goal in the 9th and 11th minutes.
Montes had another shot-on-goal in the 15th minute, and then Daniel Becerra took a shot in the 30th minute.
The Bears looked like they were going to take the lead just before the half, but Liberty goalie Antonio Lule made an amazing shot on a breakaway to send both teams to the locker room scoreless.
The Panthers had a look early in the second half, but an attempt by Matthew Morin in the 4th minute did not find its mark.
Two minutes later, LC-M was not to be denied with Justin Rainey finding David Jordan, who made it 1-0 with the game’s first score.
In the 12th minute, Lule made another great save on a Bears breakaway to keep the score the same.
In the 20 minutes, Abdiel Garcia had a shot-on-goal, and then in the 35th minute, with the score still 1-0, a Martin Sifuentes header was just high.
In the 38th minute, the Bears got a gift, and Liberty was called for a penalty in the goalie box, which would give LC-M a penalty kick in which Rainey would drive it home, and the score was 2-0.
The Panthers kept fighting for the final two minutes, but the Bears defense was too much in the 2-0 victory.
Lule made 11 stops in goal for Liberty.