GEORGETOWN — AJ Carlson’s goal in the 71st minute put a dagger in Rockwall’s hopes of winning a state championship.
The junior midfielder’s timely score was just enough to power Austin Westlake to a 1-0 win over Rockwall in the 6A state semifinal on Friday at Birkelbach Field.
Rockwall (21–4–2) senior midfielder Ayla Garcia’s penalty kick in the 29th minute after a foul was saved by Westlake (17–4–2) sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Martin and her shot on the rebound sailed over the goal.
“They gave it their all,” first-year Rockwall coach Kristov Martinez said. “I told them it’s life. You’ve got to learn sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Unfortunately, we’re coming up on the losing end this time.”
Friday marked Rockwall’s second state tournament appearance in program history. The first was in 2022. Ahead of the match against Westlake, Rockwall outscored its previous five playoff opponents 13–2. The two-time state semifinalist outscored its district mates 76-2 to finish a perfect 12–0 in 10-6A play.
Knowing that his players have a bright future gave Martinez some relief after the loss.
“Their dreams are not ending here. Some of them are going to college and starting their jobs,” Martinez said. “I’m just so proud.”
Rockwall boasts numerous seniors, including Oklahoma commitment Juliette Rayo, who scored 26 goals during the regular season. Senior goalies Layla Amaya and Faith Graves posted 11 and nine shutouts, respectively. Amaya is committed to Sam Houston State, and Graves is a Texas Woman’s University pledge.
The team averaged 4.5 goals per match and allowed .5 goals per match in the regular season, but it couldn’t find an opening against Westlake on Friday. Martin made four saves.
“You see a lot of Rockwall teams [focused on] getting to state, getting to state. We were hoping to clinch it this year,” Martinez said. “Eight, nine times out of 10 we could have possibly won the game, but it just didn’t go our way.”
Westlake made its fourth state appearance and last advanced to the tournament in 2022. It will play Prosper (25–2–2) in Saturday’s state championship game at 4 p.m.
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