Pasadena senior Oscar Cabello is carried off the field by his teammates after the game.
DEER PARK -- Senior sweeper Oscar Cabello swooped in for a late goal on Friday night, propelling Pasadena to a 1-0 victory over Cypress Springs and the school’s first-ever berth in a regional boys soccer championship game.
The Eagles claimed the first of two Region III semifinals matches at Abshier Stadium. Fort Bend Clements took the second semifinal, beating Katy Seven Lakes 2-1 to set up Saturday’s showdown with Pasadena.
The winner of the 1:30 p.m. title game will earn a spot in the state Class 5A tournament beginning next Thursday in Georgetown.
No Pasadena ISD boys or girls soccer team has ever earned a state tournament berth.
Stalled in a scoreless deadlock late in regulation, Pasadena and Cypress Springs appeared to be headed for overtime and a possible shootout. But with just 6:33 left in regulation, Cabello broke into the clear, forced a point-blank confrontation with the Panthers’ goalkeeper on the left side and popped the ball low and into the net.
The Eagles’ defense kept Cypress Springs at bay the rest of the way and Eagles fans cheered wildly as the final seconds ran down. Cabello was carried off the field by teammates after the game.
Pasadena, the third-seeded team from District 22-5A, will take a 17-3-3 record in Saturday’s match with Clements, now 20-2-3. The Rangers won the District 23-5A title this season.
For Cypress Springs, the loss was just its second of the season. The Panthers finished the season with 17 victories and 6 ties.
The game's only goal: Cabella (top) breaks free from Cy-Springs defender Raul Leura, (middle) plants just long enough to get his right foot into the ball, sending it into the net, and finally (bottom) is mobbed by happy teammates after giving his team a 1-0 lead with just 6:33 left to play.
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Pasadena's Julio Jimenez breaks down the sideline early in the game.
Junior Dante Gonzales (19) gets off a shot on goal.
Cy-Springs goalkeeper Jacob Briggs cradles the ball as Pasadena's Julio Montano closes in.
Cy-Springs' Yusfu Daramay (21) and the Eagles' Luis Araujo (16) battle for the ball.
An Eagles student shows her support for Pasadena senior Julio Jimenez.
The Panthers' Daramay uses his long stride to block the path of Pasadena's Oziel Alcarez.
Pasadena's Jimenez cuts inside of Cy-Springs' Jose Trevino.
Pasadena fans roar their approval as the clock runs out.
Eagles Coach Gavin Bruce joins his players in singing the Pasadena Alma Mater after the game.
?Cabello talks with a newspaper reporter about his game-winning goal.