Cypress Creek Boys Soccer Team Advances to Regional Final
While Cypress Creek High School head soccer coach Mike Simpson knew there was a lot of soccer talent in the area, he couldn’t have imagined what the season would have in store for his Cougars, who finished the season as undefeated District 16-5A champions and advanced to the Region II finals before losing to Lake Highlands in a hard-fought game in Richardson.
Simpson led the Cougars to a 20-4-4 overall record and a 12-0-2 district record in his first year as head coach. Simpson, who spent the previous 13 seasons coaching in Midland, Texas said the decision to relocate to Houston was an easy one.
"There is so much soccer talent in this area. I was excited to work with so many great young players," he said. "Plus, our family is in south Texas and we are a lot closer to them now."
By finishing the season as district champs, the Cougars earned a first-round bye and then defeated Round Rock McNeil 1-0 to advance and play district-rival Jersey Village in the third round of the playoffs. This game marked the third meeting of the season for the two teams with the Cougars winning one game and the teams playing to a tie in the other.
"It’s always difficult to play a team, especially a good team like Jersey Village, three times in the same season," said Simpson. "The guys knew how tough of a game it would be and they knew a berth in the regional tournament was on the line."
The playoff game turned out to be as exciting of a contest as the two regular season games, and the Cougars beat the Falcons 2-1 in a shootout to advance to regionals to face perennial powerhouse Plano in the semifinals. Plano has captured 11 state championship titles since the soccer playoffs were instituted in 1983.
The Cougars trailed Plano 2-0 with less than eight minutes left before scoring their first goal. The Cougars never quit and scored again with 14 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime. The game was still tied after two overtime periods, and the Cougars claimed the victory in the shootout.
"The guys never quit. Even when we were down, they kept playing as hard as they could and battled to the last second of the game," Simpson said. "I told them that this is a game they will remember when they are old men. I’ve ever been involved in a more exciting game."
Defeating Plano put the Cougars in the regional finals against Lake Highlands. The Cougars had several scoring opportunities but couldn’t get the ball in the goal, losing 4-0 in the game that was played on Lake Highlands’ home field.
"Mike Simpson and the Cougars had an outstanding season. This was Coach Simpson’s first year, and he and the players did a super job overcoming injuries and some illnesses along the way to the regional finals," said George Hopper, director of athletics. "This was a great year for the Cougars. The players and coaches all put in the extra time and effort it took to win the district title, defeat a powerhouse like Plano and advance to the regional finals."
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