The Permian boys soccer team’s 2024 season came to an end with a 3-0 loss to El Paso Eastlake in the regional quarterfinal round Tuesday at Ratliff Stadium.
Three first half goals from the visitors ended up being more than enough for the Falcons (18-7-1) as they advanced to the regional semifinals.
“We played strong in that first half and got those goals early,” Eastlake head coach Gibby Winder said. “Permian’s a good team. It was a tough atmosphere but those three goals really helped us set the tempo. We were able to keep possession in the second half and walk away with a win.”
Permian ended its season at 16-6-4 which included a District 2-6A title.
“First off, hats off to Eastlake,” Permian head coach Luis Carmona said. “They’re a pretty solid team. They were pretty organized in the back and midfield and we talked about that and how we had to be ready for the quickness and we came out a little flat in the first ten minutes.”
The Panthers were coming off victories against El Paso Franklin and LD Bell in the first two rounds of the Class 6A state playoffs last week.
The Falcons had three different players find the back of the net as Bryan Salas, Gabriel Aguirre and Michael Ayala all got on the scoresheet.
Eastlake didn’t need much time to get on the scoreboard as the Falcons took an early 1-0 lead off Salas’ strike which came just three minutes into the game.
“That’s what this team lives on,” Winder said. They want to set the tone early and dictate the game from the beginning. We were able to accomplish that today and it helped us throughout the whole game. It’s a testament to these players who work on being able to do that every day.”
The Falcons had a few chances to double their lead in the first half as thy controlled possession and had the majority of opportunities in the first 15 minutes of the game.
It wasn’t long until the Panthers began to calm down as the team began to find its attacking form.
However, Eastlake got a crucial 2-0 lead after Gabriel Aguirre’s goal with 11 minutes left in the first half.
Things wouldn’t get any easier for the Panthers as the Falcons added a third goal before the half with Michael Ayala finding the back of the net with 3:12 remaining.
“They made us pay and that’s what good teams do,” Carmona said. “At the end of the day, my boys fought through it and tried to come back. As a coach, that’s all I can ask for. They gave us their best but today, our best wasn’t good enough.”
Eastlake continued to dominate possession in the second half as they held on to their three-goal lead.
The Falcons weren’t able to add to their advantage but the Panthers couldn’t find a way back into the game.
