PHOTO: Bill Cano
BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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The Austin Lake Travis girls soccer team is playing in the UIL state championship on Saturday in Georgetown. It’s the fifth trip to the state final four in program history and first in six seasons. The Cavaliers have only made the title match one other time – in 2003.
One more win will finish off a historic season that will include their first championship.
Lake Travis (22-1-1) takes on Coppell (21-2-3) in the Class 6A Division 1 final at 4 pm Saturday from Birkelbach Field at Georgetown HS.
At the helm is a local DFW product, head coach Will Maloney.
Maloney graduated from Aledo in 2013, where he was a four-year varsity starter under Derek Vierling. He played both outside back and center back and was selected to the all-state team three times. After playing at Austin College, Maloney returned to his alma mater and became a student teacher/volunteer coach for the 2018 team that went to state.
The Bearcats went 25-1-4 and played in the 5A championship – falling to Frisco Wakeland 3-1.
“Coach Vierling is an incredible mentor to me. He instilled the same Bearcat fight, competitiveness, and utter belief in winning that I have tried to instill in our girls at Lake Travis,” Maloney said. “Coach V is an incredible motivator and instills an incredible ethos.
“Every team he coaches is going to compete every game, fight until the last second, and have an incredible work ethic.”
Maloney is in his fourth season at Lake Travis, but third as the girls head coach.
He was a boys assistant in 2022 and helped coach the program to its second appearance and first title. The Cavs won the 6A crown after taking down Conroe The Woodlands (3-0) and Plano (4-3 in a shootout). LT ended the season with a 24-3 record.
Now Maloney has a chance to make more history – this time on the girls side.
“It would mean everything,” he said. “To be able to be the first Lake Travis Women’s Soccer team to win a state championship would be so special for us and the community.”
This will be the second time vs Coppell as the two opened the season on Jan. 2.
Coppell won 4-0.
LT has won 13 in a row. The Cavs tied Austin Westlake on Feb. 7.
They beat Round Rock 4-2 in the Region 4 final.
They beat Katy Seven Lakes 2-1 in the semis.
Seven Lakes played in the 6A tournament last season.
“This has been such an incredible and rewarding team. We knew early in the off-season last year that this was the group that could get us to a state championship. This team truly loves each other, and it shows on the field. They will do whatever it takes to be champions and work so hard for each other,” Maloney said.
“We faced a lot of adversity in our regional final and state semifinal matches against two very talented teams. I was most impressed with the team’s heart, determination and grit in battling for 80 minutes and finding a way to win, even after going down a goal and giving up a late tying goal during the semis. The team spirit displayed was inspiring to witness and I am just so proud of everything they have accomplished together.”
PHOTO: John Gutierrez
PHOTO: Sherry Whitsitt
