Steers fall in bi-district

Battling a top-ranked team and the Texas heat, the Steers fell last week to the Pampa Harvesters.

The Steers made the long trip to Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon for the bi-district game Friday, March 20. 

While the defense put up a firm front in the first half keeping the Harvesters to only one goal, the Steers struggled to find a rhythm and two more goals in the second half ended the matchup at 3-0.

“The biggest struggle was the heat. The other big struggle, which was a struggle all year, was getting guys into scoring positions and finishing the ball,” head coach Tim Wankowicz said. “We had an opportunity to even the score in the first half and didn’t capitalize. That hurt us. I think that changes the momentum of the game tremendously.” 

Wankowicz said midfielders and forwards were able to be substituted during the game, but the back line does not have that kind of backup on the bench.

“We lost two guys on our back line later in the game due to heat. They absolutely worked their tails off and just weren’t acclimatized to it yet,” he said. 

The Steers finished fourth in district with a record of 2-6, but Wankowicz said the team’s record does not show the fight of its players.

“We are in one of the toughest districts in the region, if not the state. At the beginning of district, three teams in our district were ranked in the top five of our region, but that didn’t deter the boys,” Wankowicz said. “They played each game with grit and determination. The boys learned a lot about themselves through the hard times and really stepped up when needed.” 

Standouts in the game and all season for the head coach were the back line and the goalkeepers. Playing in those positions were Damian Noria, Kyson Bates, Nolan Wankowicz, Jacob Collins, Thomason Burkett, Eric Martinez and Max Coyac and James Gage as goalkeepers.