SAN ANTONIO – The Brandeis boys soccer team finished the regular season fourth in its district. Now, the Broncos might be the hottest team in the Class 6A-Division II playoffs.
After shutting out Harlan in round one — a Hawks team that entered the postseason unbeaten in district play — Brandeis knocked off the No. 1 ranked team in Texas, Austin Westlake, 3-2 to advance to the regional semifinals.
“It was a really magical night,” said Brandeis second-year boys soccer head coach Clifton Tierney. “We didn’t want to leave. We wanted to stay there on the field. We wanted to stay there in the parking lot just as long as possible.”
“It was a surreal feeling,” said Brandeis senior striker Aidan Williams. “We accomplished a very big goal of ours.”
The Broncos scored the most goals any opponent has managed against Westlake this season.
And they couldn’t have done it without Aidan, Aidan and Aiden.
Yes — that’s three Aidans/Aidens on Brandeis’ roster.
In the last two games, all three scored for an “Aidan/Aiden hat trick.”
On Tuesday against Westlake, Aidan Garza scored to tie the game.
Then Aidan Williams netted the Broncos’ go-ahead goal in the second half.
To complete the storybook ending, Aiden Carreon scored to make it 3-1 in favor of Brandeis.
“I had a thought in my mind that I wanted to score,” said Brandeis senior midfielder Aiden Carreon. “It was unreal. I never thought we’d be in that position.”
“It was crazy, that never really happens, but it happened two times in a row,” said Broncos junior defender/forward Aidan Garza.
Tierney suggested the trio score for a third time for an Aidan/Aiden hat trick.
“Let’s make it a hat trick,” said Tierney. “Let’s do it again. Can we do this three games in a row?”
“We didn’t expect this type of postseason run, I don’t think anybody expected it,” said Garza. “But I mean, we get our stuff done and we do it.”
Tierney also shared that his motivation is his late friend Reece Zunker, who coached the Tivy boys soccer team, as he carries on Zunker’s legacy — a victim of the July 4 floods in the Hill Country.
The Broncos next prepare to face Brownsville Veterans Memorial at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in the regional semifinals with confidence after back-to-back strong performances against quality opposition.
Read more reporting and watch highlights and full games on the Big Game Coverage page.