District Champs.Lumberton nips Central for 1st in boys 20-4A soccer

[Nike]

Lumberton defeats Central... 2-1. Good Game Central.

[KFDM COOP]

Congrats Lumberton!

[KFDM COOP]

Lumberton nips Central for 1st in boys 20-4A soccer

The Lumberton boys soccer team walked off the field smiling broadly and cheering loudly, as the celebration spilled into the stadium stands.

The Raiders deserved to celebrate.

Lumberton handed Central its first district loss of the season on Tuesday night to win sole possession of the District 20-4A crown. Lumberton defeated Central 2-1 at the Raiders Stadium.

"I am very proud of the way my kids played tonight," said Lumberton coach Chad Luttrell. "Coach (Tony) Cox does a great job with those kids, and we figured it was going to be a 2-1 game. But our kids wanted to win bad tonight, and they played a great defensive game to get it done."

Lumberton and Central both end the district season at 18-1 overall. But since soccer standings are determined by a points system, Lumberton finished with a one-point advantage over Central to win the district title outright.

Central needed a shootout to beat PN-G in their second district game to enter Tuesday's game with only a two-point advantage over Lumberton.

Teams earn three standings points for district victories in regulation and two points for winning in overtime and shootout. Losing teams in overtime or shootout game earn one point.

"Our main goal for the season was to make the playoffs, and that's what we did," said Cox, who led his team to the postseason for the first time in 19 years. "We just have to regroup from this point on and prepare for our next opponent."

Central plays Waller in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs at 6 p.m. Saturday at Charles Street Stadium in Humble.

"We are really excited about playing in the playoffs," Cox said. "We will rebound from this loss and continue to practice to prepare."

Lumberton's Scott Poole scored off a pass from Mark Brackin in the first period.

Central would even the score with less than two minutes remaining. The Jaguars' Alejandro Jiminez scored his team's only goal late in the first to tie the game up at 1-1 before the break.

"We knew we would have to play a good defensive game in the second half if we wanted the win," Luttrell said. "Everybody on the team dug deep and just played their hearts out to get the win."

Brackin would extend the Raiders' lead in the second half with another goal. Jonathan Bell assisted Brackin on the goal.

Brackin almost had two goals in the period. He kicked one in from 30 yards out, but the goal was deemed no good after the referees said he stepped out of bounds.

"This is a tremendous boost for us going into the playoffs," said Luttrell, whose team will have a first-round bye. "We will enter the playoffs with a lot of confidence."

[Fernando9]

CONGRATULATIONS TO LUMBERTON ........ GOOD LUCK IN THE PLAY OFFS !!!

[preacher]

Great Job Coach. Those are some fine kids you have there in Lumberton.