The Celina girls soccer team is one win away from capturing a three-peat at the UIL soccer state tournament. Sammy Quiroz scored two goals in less than two minutes and the Bobcats beat Lumberton 3-1 in a Class 4A semifinal on Wednesday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.
Celina (25-1-2), which is at state for the fourth straight season, will play in the 4A championship at 230 pm Thursday against Boerne.
The Bobcats lost to Midlothian Heritage in the 2021 semifinals, but has since won their last five matches at the state tournament – and last 20 in the playoffs. They beat Heritage in shootouts during the 2022 championship and had a recording breaking 8-1 win over Stephenville in last year’s final.
Some heavy winds in Georgetown forced Lumberton and Celina into a scoreless tie at the intermission. However, the Bobcats still controlled most of the opening 40 minutes with five shots and two shots on goal. For the game, Celina out-shot Lumberton 12-4, 6-3 shots on goal and 4-0 in corner kicks.
Quiroz’s two goals on Wednesday tied her for the team lead with 21 along with Grace Pritchard.
Her first goal came in the 53rd minute on a long free kick. Quiroz got to the loose ball and found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. It came shortly after a foul by Lumberton’s Addison Stewart. Less than two minutes later in the 55th minute Pritchard found Quiroz, who scored her 21st of the season. Pritchard hit a cross and Quiroz made a turnaround shot to the far post.
Lumberton was hit with a yellow card in the 65th minute. A foul by Lumberton in the 66th minute gave Celina a free kick from 35 yards out and Ryleigh Stifflemire scored to make it 3-0. It was her 12th goal of the year.
Lumberton got its only goal in the 71st minute from Tessa Christopherson with the assist by Annie Scoggin. Lumberton got two more shots off before the match ended. Celina goalkeepers Kaitlyn Gustafson and Emme Norman had one save apiece. Gustafson started and played 70 minutes.
