BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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Salado scored three minutes into overtime as Castleberry’s magical run ends in a 3-2 loss during the UIL Class 4A Division 1 boys soccer title match on Thursday night at Georgetown.
The Lions finish with a 22-2-3 record.
They defeated Lake Dallas in the Region 1 final to clinch their first trip to the state semifinals. After beating out Nevada Community, Castleberry then secured a spot in the championship game for the first time.
Castleberry scored in the 4th minute and a took a 1-nil lead on a Christian Serrato goal.
The Eagles (24-3-3), who were making the trip to state for the first time, knotted the match at 1-1 in the 12th minute when Luke Munson finished off an assist from Davis Kasper.
The Lions were able to get a shot off by Gerardo Garcia less than two minutes after Salado’s goal, but goalkeeper Cole Cooley made one of four saves in the game.
Castleberry keeper Caleb Castaneda made his own save in the 15th minute. Neither team got a shot off in the next 18 minutes. Castaneda made his second save in the 33rd minute to keep it tied. After a pair of fouls, Jose Chairez found the back of the net to give the Lions a 2-1 lead just before the intermission.
Ethan Padilla tried to score in the bottom right but Cooley saved it in the 51st minute.
Salado tied it at 2-2 in the 66th minute on a goal from Damonte Foster. The Eagles got two yellow cards while the Lions picked up one. Castleberry applied much pressure in the closing minutes with shots by Chairez and Eddie Zapata, but the match went into overtime.
Devonte Foster assisted on a Luke Anderson goal that gave Salado a 3-2 lead in the 82nd minute. The Eagles couldn’t get another shot off for the remainder of the game.
In 27 matches this season, Castleberry has scored 87 goals and given up 16. The Lions came into Thursday’s game with a 12-game winning streak and 10 straight shutouts – including 2-0 against Lake Dallas and Community.
Since 2019, the Lions have posted a 130-22-9 record.
They were the third team in UIL soccer history to reach state – joining Diamond Hill-Jarvis boys in 2021 and Trimble Tech boys in 2022. DHJ is the only other team to play in the title match.
