MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Howard’s soccer team took on Science Hill on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Class AAA state tournament. Howard came into the tournament with an impressive record of 14-2-1. They have been seeking a state title for several years now, and they got one step closer with a 1-0 win over the Science Hill Hilltoppers.
Each teams seemed inseparable in the first half showing multiple chances from both sides. However, the battle to get the ball in the box still holds to be a challenge. The Tigers put a lot of faith in Jaime Roman Pablo, while Science Hill used their winger Lucas Trill to create their chances. The Hilltoppers showed themselves to be the more aggressive attacking team at first with Howard taking more time to find a rhythm and get the ball moving forward.
The heat proved to be a major factor in the earlier games of the day. It was no different for the Hustlin' Tigers and the Hilltoppers. The coaches, having anticipated the environment of play, made multiple substitutions early on to give their players time to recover. Despite those adjustments, the heat still caused quite a few cramp and muscle injuries on just the first day of the tournament.
The game went scoreless in the first half. Most of the credit for this went to the Howard goalkeeper, Giovani Reynoso Paiz, who blocked every single shot taken on him. Science Hill started getting one on one with Reynoso Paiz late in the half causing him to have some issues with his ankles. Luckily for the Tigers, he would be able to stay in the game and keep them in it.
With just nine minutes of play gone by Jaime Roman Pablo found his goal for Howard as they took advantage of an open goal opportunity. The keeper found himself outside the range of the net giving Pablo the chance from midfield. Science Hill, up to this point, had controlled the game. What hurt their chances was an inability to capitalize in the box.
The match continued down to the wire with the Hilltoppers doing whatever it took to get in an equalizer. There were a few moments when it looked like it would happen, but it was inches too short with one coming right off the post and back out.
Head Coach Jose Otero spoke about the win for him and his team and the affect it will have on the Howard community, “We have had an awesome group of leadership and nucleus of seniors and juniors coming up. But I think the reason why we are here is because we have had great leadership on the team. Having that leadership on the team pushes young players and it keeps us going and keeps us driven in practice and in a game.
"Leadership wins games'" he continued, "Bayro Vasquez and Rene Rodriguez, they do that. Their leadership and their fire on the field, they are cold as ice. It is phenomenal to be here. We deserve it and we haven’t lost in eleven or twelve games. Our secret is our subs. My bench is as good as my starters. For our community, for the Howard community, and for the Hispanic community of Chattanooga, this means the world. We have twenty-one players from Guatemala and one from Africa. And today, for our senior pictures they raised the Guatemalan flag. So, this means a lot for our Guatemalan community, Hispanic community, and Howard community.”
Howard advances to the semifinal match on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. (CT), where they will face Ravenwood (17-2-4), 3-2 winners over Houston.
Game Summary
Howard 0 1 -- 1
Science Hill 0 0 -- 0
Goal Scorers:
Howard Tech- Jaime Roman Pablo.
Records: Howard 15-2-1