Three months ago, when this journey began, Boerne High School freshman forward Isabella Pettet was racked with apprehension.

A part of the anxiety was the normal concerns associated with adjusting to the demands of being a first-year athlete on varsity. Another aspect was the notion of playing for a program that has a standard of competing on the biggest stage.

“In the beginning, I was really nervous because seeing these really talented young ladies play was really kind of intimidating,” Pettet said. “The more I played, the more I worked, the more I realized I could compete with them.”

Against La Vernia in a Class 4A second-round match at Comalander Stadium on Thursday, Pettet went from competing to dominating. She scored three goals and assisted on another as Boerne blanked La Vernia 5-0 and continued its march toward a third straight appearance at the UIL Class 4A state tournament.

“I was trying to be more aggressive,” Pettet said after her second three-goal game of the season. “I want to contribute to my team and show it’s a reason I should be here. We all play for each other, we play to win, and we have a goal. And we really want to work toward that goal.”

The Greyhounds (19-1-3) dictated the pace from start to finish. They had a goal waved off because of an offside less than four minutes into the contest but never slowed down. Two minutes after the disallowed goal, junior forward Kailey Stringfellow put in a pass from Pettet for the game-winner.

“As a team, it’s not so much as one person carrying the team as much as all of us pitching in and doing our part,” Stringfellow said. “No game is guaranteed, and you’re not promised another opportunity, so it’s just taking advantage of each game and knowing that it’s a blessing.”

Pettet tallied the first of her three consecutive goals only five minutes later as the Greyhounds led 3-0 at halftime. Avery Ukeiley assisted on Pettet’s two first-half goals.

Boerne’s margin grew to 4-0 early in the second half as Pettet completed her hat trick. Tommie Rand concluded the scoring with a goal with 16 1/2 minutes left in the contest.

La Vernia (17-8) captured an undefeated district championship in its first season under Coach Samara Weinstein, who previously led Boerne Champion to the UIL state tournament in 2009, 2010 and 2017, but struggled to find an offensive groove against a Boerne defense led by Molly Miller, Anna Darling and Catherine Hiner.

The Bears entered the contest with 117 goals on the season — including 11 in their first-round win vs. Somerset — but were held scoreless for only the fourth time this season. Two of the previous shutouts came vs. Class 6A opponents.

La Vernia’s best scoring chance came when it missed a penalty kick with 11 minutes left in the game. The few other promising opportunities were stopped by Boerne goalkeeper Kinsley Sawyer.

Boerne faces District 26-4A foe Wimberley in the third round at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Smithson Valley High School. The Greyhounds prevailed 2-0 when the teams last met on March 19. They played to a 2-2 draw on Feb. 19.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1