Boys soccer: Panthers fall minutes short of staying alive

For a few minutes Saturday, it looked like the Permian boys soccer team was going to keep its playoff hopes alive.

But then the mistakes that have cost the Panthers all season long came about again as they tied Midland Lee 3-3 in a District 2-5A match at the Ratliff Soccer Complex.

Permian needed a win to stay alive in the hunt for the fourth playoff spot and after taking a 3-2 lead on a wild scrum in front of the net with 10 minutes left, it looked like the Panthers were going to do just that.

Instead, Permian turned the ball over at midfield and committed a foul near the penalty box.

Midland Lee’s George Ulmo then chipped the ball over the Permian wall and Adam Reker headed it home for the equalizer.

“We set out to not make silly fouls around the box,” Permian head coach Luis Carmona said. “They are deadly on set pieces and that’s what happened. It cost us the game.”

Midland Lee was playing a man down at that point, but the Rebels’ skill on set pieces won through.

“We set up four on the wall,” Permian defender Barrett Brown said. “We left one guy and it resulted in a goal. It wasn’t anything special, but that drove the nail in and finished it.”

Permian had trailed 2-1 and 1-0 earlier in the game, but the Panthers couldn’t get any other chances to try and win the game.

“We thought we were over the hump, not having lost in the last six games,” Brown said, “but it showed up again today. Not finishing off games cost us a playoff spot.”

The Rebels scored in the sixth minute as Derek Sanchez scored off a rebound. Midland Lee carried that lead into halftime by dominating play at the midfield.

John Weaver tied the game for Permian with a chip shot from 30 yards out, but the Rebels responded as Ulmo hammered home a rebound for a 2-1 lead.

Permian responded once again as Matt Caley scored off a nice pass from the midfield to tie the game.

The Panthers then scored on a bizarre play, as the Midland Lee goalkeeper came out to try and stop a run by Colby Pyron, but the ball got by him and a scrum developed on the goal line as Pyron and Brennan Welch tried to kick the ball in past two defenders, who were laying on the ground trying to kick the ball out.

After a lengthy discussion amongst a linesman and the referee, a goal was awarded to Welch. A Rebels player was then ejected for arguing.

Five minutes later, though, Permian’s joy turned to sorrow as its playoff hopes were wiped out.

“It’s very disappointing,” Carmona said. “I couldn’t ask for any more effort. We played well in the second half and being down a goal at halftime — at the beginning of the year, we probably would’ve given up.

“But we were five minutes away ...”