The stage was big. The stakes were high. The intensity required in a pursuit of attaining a goal was palpable.

For the Brandeis High School girls soccer team, moments and backdrops like the ones experienced on Monday night used to be commonplace.

But in the past half-decade, as the Broncos endured coaching changes and a realignment into a district with opponents that have been among the most successful in San Antonio-area history, things haven’t gone as they were accustomed to.

Brandeis might have turned the tide in that regard by outlasting Reagan 2-1 in a District 27-6A showdown at Blossom Stadium.

The Broncos earned their second win ever vs. Reagan and the first since January 2012, when midfielders Abigail Koenigs and Mikaela Noriega, goalkeeper Lauren Blakes and defender Lisa Tomenendal led them to a victory at the North East ISD tournament. They were 0-11-2 vs. Reagan since 2013.

“This year, I feel like everyone cares, and we want to win, and we’re always giving our all,” Brandeis senior Brooklyn Waddell said.

The commitment has paid off thus far as Brandeis (10-1-2 overall, 5-0-2 in district) sits in first place at the halfway point of league play, riding its best start to a season since 2017, when the team was 11-1-1.

Back then, the Broncos dominated the Northside ISD, collecting six district titles in eight seasons during one span with a roster rich with Division I talent. But they haven’t made the postseason since 2019 — they were 15-3-3 overall and 14-1-2 in league play with one match remaining in the regular season in 2020 when the season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, with a different coach at the helm each time, Brandeis needed a win in its district finale to make the playoffs but played to draws on each occasion.

On a gloomy evening, though, the Broncos took a big step toward snapping the postseason drought in Coach Kelsie Fisher’s third season. With five minutes left in the first half, Waddell chased down a pass from sophomore Keegan Vargas at the end line on the right side of the goal, eluded a sliding Reagan defender, took a couple of touches into the penalty area and ripped a left-footed shot into the upper left corner for the game-winner.

“I knew that the girl was going to come after me with a slide tackle, so I was steady with my movement,” Waddell said. “I beat her, and then I shot the ball.”

Waddell’s goal capped a first half in which all the scoring occurred. Reagan tied it at 1-1 with 14 minutes left when Katie Salazar gathered a pass from Emi Durante and slotted it in. Brandeis grabbed a 1-0 advantage 13 1/2 minutes into the contest when Maygan Munoz converted on a penalty kick after Reagan was whistled for a foul inside the penalty area.

Reagan (11-3-1, 5-2) created numerous promising scoring threats in an attempt at netting a tying goal in the second half but was either denied by Brandeis freshman goalkeeper Camila Rodriguez (eight saves) or an offside trap that produced 10 violations.

Boys
Reagan 3, Brandeis 1: Jesus Carrillo scored two goals, and Sebastian Camelo tallied a goal and assisted on another to lead their team to victory.

It was the first meeting between the teams since last year’s district finale in which Brandeis prevailed 6-3, keeping Reagan from advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

The Rattlers (6-5-3 overall, 5-1-1) played as if the memory was fresh in their minds, using a dazzling first-half performance to prevail. Carrillo scored twice off of headers, the first only 7 1/2 minutes into the match off a pass from Camelo and the second off an assist from Jonathan Arzu with 13 minutes left. Camelo put in a pass from Mateo Alday on a counterattack as Reagan led 3-0 at halftime.

The scoring outburst was a pleasing sight for the Rattlers, who have struggled with their finishing during the past two seasons but have now scored at least three goals in five of their past seven games.

“I think we’ve been trying to focus more on just the rhythm of the game, and the tempo, and trying to keep the ball better and create more chances,” Reagan coach Gilbert Villarreal said. “Hopefully, if we create more chances, then some of them will start to fall. I tell them that confidence is contagious, but so is a lack of it. They found a little success these last few games. Hopefully, they can keep building on that and keep improving.”

Luis Ituarte tallied the lone goal with 20 minutes left to play for Brandeis (10-2, 6-1), which had an eight-match winning streak snapped. Brandeis was close to turning a three-goal deficit into a potential tie, but Reagan goalkeeper Patrick Bassett stopped a penalty kick and a point-blank attempt in the second half to preserve the cushion. He finished with six saves.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1