By Brian Gosset
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
GEORGETOWN – 26 times has a boys soccer player scored 2 goals in a UIL state championship game. Bridgeport junior Jared Contreras stands alone on the mountain-top after his historic performance on Thursday night.
Contreras netted 3 goals for the hat trick, 2 in overtime to rally Bridgeport past Royal 5-2 in the Class 4A D2 title match at Birkelbach Field.
After coming up short in the semifinals last season, the Bulls (22-3) secured their first title in program history while avenging a loss to Royal (28-2-1) on Jan. 3 (Royal won 3-1).
Contreras was the obvious champ game MVP.
Royal stunned the Bridgeport fans when the Falcons took just 29 seconds to score the first goal. But that didn’t stop the Bulls, who applied the pressure and had back-to-back corners in the 17th minute.
A third corner attempt coming in the 19th minute finally got the Bulls over the hump.
Contreras scored his first goal with the corner assist coming from David Duran.
But the Falcons scored quick again as they regained the lead 2-1 just 3 minutes later. Jerson Perez, who scored in the opening minute, added his second goal unassisted to put Royal back on top.
The Bulls still trailed at the intermission, but continued to pressure Royal all night long.
Bridgeport had 6 shots in the first half against 2 for Royal. The Bulls also had 4 corners in the first 40 minutes against none for Royal.
Royal was hit with a yellow card in the 33rd minute, but Bridgeport’s free kick from just in front of the box sailed high.
A try in the 35th minute was about 5 feet wide left.
Bridgeport tied the game in the 46th minute when Duran picked up his second assist and found Xxavier Garza for 1 of his 2 goals on the night.
The Bulls’ defense held Royal to 1 goal in 99 minutes after the early goal. The Falcons came in with over 5 goals per game in the playoffs (27 goals total in 5 games).
Bridgeport’s pressure didn’t slow down – with 9 shots and 5 corners after the break against 3 and 3 by Royal.
The Bulls had a good looking try in the 55th minute, but a defender disrupted a pass, resulting in a tough shot that was caught easily by Royal goalkeeper Guillermo Lopez.
Royal had a breakaway goal 2 minutes later, but it was negated with an off-sides call.
Bridgeport goalkeeper Habram Medina came up with several high-flying saves to keep the game tied in regulation. Royal had a free kick with 19 left and Medina made a spectacular stop near the right post to push the ball out of bounds.
Medina had 2 more amazing stops – one coming with 18:30 to play and the other in a 1 v 1 with under 20 seconds left in regulation.
Bridgeport came close at taking the lead, but a shot in the 64th minute was blocked in the box while 2 more came in the 74th minute. Lopez was able to force a corner, which was then headed just over the crossbar.
In the first overtime period, Bridgeport took a 3-2 lead in the 85th minute on Contreras’ second goal. Contreras took a cross from Jose Iniguez and kicked it in while leaping in the air – going past a pair of defenders and Lopez near the far post.
It took 90 seconds for the junior forward to get his historic third goal that gave the Bulls some cushion, a 4-2 lead in the 86th minute.
Bridgeport added one more for good measure, a goal by Garza from Ernesto Mejia coming in the 96th minute.
The game was delayed for about 90 minutes with lightning and rain in the area.
DFW teams went 2-2 on Thursday in state soccer with Celina girls winning its fifth straight championship while Sunnyvale girls and Lake Dallas boys were denied their first titles.
