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Photo by Beth Miller
March 13, 2025
Boys soccer clinches 1st playoff berth since 2017
By Brady Keane
The Bandera Prophet
For the first time since 2017, the Bandera boys soccer team is heading to the playoffs after an emphatic 3-1 victory over Wimberley Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs not only secured a postseason berth but also completed a season sweep of the Texans, defeating them three times this year – once in tournament play and twice in district. Bandera will now close out the regular season on the road Friday night in Marble Falls before preparing for the UIL Class 4A bi-district round next weekend.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of this group,” Bandera Head Coach Westley Miller said. “They’ve worked so hard for this moment, and to do it on Senior Night, in front of our home crowd, makes it even more special. These guys have battled all season, and they earned this playoff spot.”
Bandera honored 11 seniors prior to the start of Tuesday night’s game and then quickly set the tone with an aggressive pace of play that kept the ball on the Wimberley side of the field for a majority of the night. The Bulldogs struck first with 29 minutes remaining in the first half when senior goalkeeper Connor Garrett made a save and booted an assist across midfield to senior Hayden Swalve, who got behind the Texans’ defense and put a shot past the goalie and into the back of the net.
Sophomore Jaymin Klein added the second goal of the night just before the half, advancing from his defensive position to steal a Wimberley clear out kick before charging into the box and making two defenders and the goalkeeper miss to make it 2-0 in favor of Bandera.
“That second goal from Jaymin was huge to give us some more momentum before the half,” Miller said. “He took a risk pushing forward from his defensive spot, but he read the play perfectly and made an incredible move to finish it off.”
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 3-0 in the second half when senior Jace Knowles took a shot that ricocheted to Diego Gomez, who converted on a 1-on-1 opportunity against the goalkeeper. Wimberley got on the board to narrow the deficit, but the Bulldogs stifled the Texans offensive attack down the stretch to protect the two-goal lead and clinch a playoff spot.
“The guys stayed composed and locked in,” Miller said. “We knew Wimberley wasn’t going to quit, but we did a great job closing the game out and protecting our lead.”
The win extends the season for a large senior class that includes several multi-year varsity team members. Bandera seniors include Garrett, Dominic Segovia, Nino Martinez, Micah McCreary, AJ Rios, Knowles, Hayden Swalve, Ibraham MacNeil, Levi Barton, Zayne Clark and Keegen Perales.
The Bulldogs, now 11-8-3 on the year and 3-5-1 in district play, will compete in the Class 4A Division II bracket of the playoffs. Bandera will likely face Austin Achieve late next week. Austin Achieve is 15-4-1 on the season and 14-1 in district play.
“We’re excited for the opportunity,” Miller said. “Austin Achieve is a strong team, but we’re playing with confidence right now. If we bring this same energy and effort, we’ll give ourselves a chance to make a run and keep our season going.
The Bulldogs not only secured a postseason berth but also completed a season sweep of the Texans, defeating them three times this year – once in tournament play and twice in district. Bandera will now close out the regular season on the road Friday night in Marble Falls before preparing for the UIL Class 4A bi-district round next weekend.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of this group,” Bandera Head Coach Westley Miller said. “They’ve worked so hard for this moment, and to do it on Senior Night, in front of our home crowd, makes it even more special. These guys have battled all season, and they earned this playoff spot.”
Bandera honored 11 seniors prior to the start of Tuesday night’s game and then quickly set the tone with an aggressive pace of play that kept the ball on the Wimberley side of the field for a majority of the night. The Bulldogs struck first with 29 minutes remaining in the first half when senior goalkeeper Connor Garrett made a save and booted an assist across midfield to senior Hayden Swalve, who got behind the Texans’ defense and put a shot past the goalie and into the back of the net.
Sophomore Jaymin Klein added the second goal of the night just before the half, advancing from his defensive position to steal a Wimberley clear out kick before charging into the box and making two defenders and the goalkeeper miss to make it 2-0 in favor of Bandera.
“That second goal from Jaymin was huge to give us some more momentum before the half,” Miller said. “He took a risk pushing forward from his defensive spot, but he read the play perfectly and made an incredible move to finish it off.”
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 3-0 in the second half when senior Jace Knowles took a shot that ricocheted to Diego Gomez, who converted on a 1-on-1 opportunity against the goalkeeper. Wimberley got on the board to narrow the deficit, but the Bulldogs stifled the Texans offensive attack down the stretch to protect the two-goal lead and clinch a playoff spot.
“The guys stayed composed and locked in,” Miller said. “We knew Wimberley wasn’t going to quit, but we did a great job closing the game out and protecting our lead.”
The win extends the season for a large senior class that includes several multi-year varsity team members. Bandera seniors include Garrett, Dominic Segovia, Nino Martinez, Micah McCreary, AJ Rios, Knowles, Hayden Swalve, Ibraham MacNeil, Levi Barton, Zayne Clark and Keegen Perales.
The Bulldogs, now 11-8-3 on the year and 3-5-1 in district play, will compete in the Class 4A Division II bracket of the playoffs. Bandera will likely face Austin Achieve late next week. Austin Achieve is 15-4-1 on the season and 14-1 in district play.
“We’re excited for the opportunity,” Miller said. “Austin Achieve is a strong team, but we’re playing with confidence right now. If we bring this same energy and effort, we’ll give ourselves a chance to make a run and keep our season going.