Bridgeport senior midfielder/forward Daniel Aguilar pushes the ball down the field in the Bulls’ 4A Division II state semifinal match against Gainesville. The Leopards shutout Bridgeport 3-0 to advance to the title game. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
Bridgeport’s season was stopped one game short of reaching the state championship for the second time in program history on Friday.
The Gainesville Leopards held the Bulls scoreless in the 4A Division II state semifinal match, delivering a 3-0 loss to Bridgeport at Lake Dallas High School.
Bridgeport ended its season at 15-7.
“I think the better team probably won tonight. We made some mistakes early that had us chasing the game, but the kids played hard,” Bridgeport coach George Velten said. “They fought hard the whole way through, and I was really proud of not just that, but everything they’ve done all season.”
The Leopards came out with a blazing offense, launching a long ball right after kickoff to nearly get on the board just seconds into the game.
Both teams came within inches of the net over the next 10 minutes, but it was Gainesville that was able to dial in the attempts.
Gainesville forward Cesar De la rosa put the Leopards ahead by one with his goal in the 11th minute, assisted by Matteo Gurreiro.
Eleven minutes later, De la rosa was celebrating again after knocking in a header to give Gainesville a two-goal lead.
The Bulls could never gain the momentum they were looking for in the first half. Gainesville’s speed and physicality helped them shut down Bridgeport when they broke into the Leopards’ half of the field.
Just a minute into the second half, Gainesville forward Ethan Torres teed up a free kick to set up De la rosa with a point blank shot at the goal that he punched in with ease for the hat trick.
Bridgeport midfielder Cory Lopez pushes the ball downfield in the Bulls’ 3-0 loss to Gainesville in the 4A Division II state semifinals Friday at Lake Dallas High School’s Falcon Stadium. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
“I probably just didn’t go a good enough job getting them ready for this game,” Velten said. “We had that big game on Tuesday, and having such an emotional win against [Diamond Hill-Jarvis], I should’ve maybe pushed a little harder in practice.”
Bridgeport leveled up the defensive pressure in the second half and gained several shot attempts from it, but the stout Gainesville defense stonewalled the Bulls the remainder of the game.
Gainesville was assessed with four yellow cards throughout the match, mostly on defensive gambles, but the fouls had no effect on the Leopards deep bench.
Even as Bridgeport dominated possession down the stretch, the Gainesville defense gave goalkeeper Leonardo Martinez a stress-free night.
Bridgeport will lose several seniors to graduation: Ezequiel Martinez, Daniel Aguilar, Jayden Quiroz, Eduardo Amador, Tristian Reyes, Peter Gutierrez, Karol Ibarra, Oscar Lopez, Norberto Montes de Oca and Biviano Martinez.
But Velten said with the emergence of so many young players throughout the duration of the season, there’s still a lot to look forward to in the Bridgeport soccer program.
“The younger kids have really stepped up. We had a freshman start all year, so the future is still very bright,” Velten said. “It looks good. It looks like we could have another successful season with – we’re looking at more of a reload rather than a rebuild. It’s a very exciting time in Bridgeport.”
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