Despite missing several players to illness, the Sam Houston Broncos nearly tied the game in the final minutes but the Westminster Crusaders held on to a 2-1 win Saturday afternoon in Moss Bluff.
Westminster (5-2) scored two second half goals but the Broncos stayed on the attack and final got on the board in the 78th minute of the game.
Michael Koppenhagen got a shot off that was initially stopped by Crusader goalkeeper Kaleb Pope. But ball slipped out of Pope’s hands and Josh Miglicco put it in the goal.
The Broncos got the ball back down near the Westminster goal but could not get a shot off before time expired.
“They played with a lot of effort for a bunch of young guys,” Sam Houston head coach Jim Groth said. “They continue to improve and step up. We are making tremendous strides.”
The teams battled it out to a 0-0 tie after 40 minutes of play. Both teams struggled with the field conditions from the recent rain. Large chunks of grass were flying through out the game.
“It was certainly not the ideal field conditions but the weather is always part of the game,” Groth said.
The Broncos picked up a penalty kick opportunity just seven minutes into the second half but Pope was there to scoop up Hunter Prejean’s shot.
Sam Houston (3-5-4) goalkeeper Justin Cdebaca made a stop on a shot by Rader Massey in the 48th minute but Cdebaca could not hold on and Lamar Smith was there to kick it in for a 1-0 Westminster lead.
Over the next 10 minutes, the Broncos made several attacks into Crusader territory. Prejean had two of the Broncos three shots during that time and another attack was stopped on an offsides call.
Cdebaca picked up a save on a shot by Brian Dupont in the 72nd minute but the Crusaders came back with Smith’s second goal of the night in the 73rd minute on an assist by Thomas Kemp.
Sam Houston got their second penalty kick of the second half with three minutes left in the game when Prejean was fouled in the box. Josh Miglicco took the kick and tried to go up top and to the right of Pope but the ball glanced off the top corner of the goal.
Sam Houston will be in action again on Tuesday with a home game against Westgate (5:30 p.m. JV/7 p.m. Varsity).
