By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
GEORGETOWN – The Liberty Hill boys soccer team’s motto is “’till the end.”
On Tuesday at Birckelback Stadium, with their season on the line, the Panthers put together another dramatic finish and is playing for a state championship.
Facing a 2-1 hole late in the second half, senior Zayd Rasheed put a penalty kick past Montgomery Lake Creek goalkeeper Matt Jacobik to tie the game with 2:12 left on the clock.
The Panthers (15-7-7) then held off a relentless Lions’ attack for the next 22 minutes – including two overtime periods – and went 16 rounds of penalty kicks before junior David Candia put the game winner in the back of the net.
Liberty Hill defeated Lake Creek 2-2 (9-8 penalty kicks) and will return to Birkelbach Stadium in Georgetown next Friday for the Class 5A Division II state championship game. The Panthers will face the winner of Saginaw-Highland Park.
Thursday’s thriller was nothing new for the cardiac kids from Liberty Hill.
The Panthers have played the role of Cinderella perfectly throughout the 2025 high school soccer season.
Liberty Hill finished fourth in District 25-5A and had a very rough start to the year, going 3-6-4 in their first 13 games.
Then the magic happened that started an improbable run to the UIL state tournament.
Down 2-1 with 40 seconds left on the clock in the Panthers’ bi-district playoff against Boerne, Liberty Hill scored a late goal to tie the game and went on to defeat the Greyhounds in penalty kicks.
The clock never struck midnight on the Panthers as they edged out every opponent in the next four rounds to get to a moment no one expected them to see.
Goalkeepers Angel Cardenas and Logan Bruno have been spectacular throughout this playoff run, giving up four goals in Liberty Hill’s last nine games.
While just getting to the state finals has been a remarkable championship, the Panthers are looking to hoist a state championship trophy when the clock finally strikes midnight.
The Class 5A Division II state championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 11.
More photos from the game
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