GEORGETOWN, Texas — Lumberton's run through the 4A State Playoffs came to a close Wednesday afternoon a with 4-1 loss to defending State Champion Midlothian Heritage.
The Lady Raiders took advantage of the wind in the opening half when Brooke Denison bent a corner kick in for the first goal of the game.
Lumberton's lead would hold through the first half, but the momentum would completely shift when the field was flipped.
Thirty seconds into the second half Heritage sophomore Jules Burrows buried the equalizer to give the Lady Jaguars momentum.
Just over five minutes later, Burrows found the back of the net again to give Heritage a lead they would never surrender.
Lumberton continued to fight and nearly evened the match when Sydney Bassa's shot trickled past the keeper. A split second before the shot got in, Paisley Mabra cleared it out of the box.
The Lady Raiders continued to hang tough until Maddie Berumen delivered the dagger for Midlothian Heritage with under twenty-four minutes left in the second half.
A late own goal would end the scoring as Lumberton fell in the 4A State Semifinals, 4-1.
Lumberton Head Coach Jason Hopson was proud of his team's effort.
“It makes me proud. It’s not about wins or loses and medals and anything else. The things that makes me most proud, it’s knowing and being satisfied in my career that these kids can do what they’ve been doing now for four years, push through adversity, get through the ups and the downs, come together as a team and do that for the rest of their life because they displayed it here. I’m totally happy for it. I was really mainly talking at the end of the game for our seniors in that aspect but everybody else to thank their seniors for showing them that’s the way you need to be. They left a legacy. I told the younger girls remember what this feels like and let’s put to work a plan, a program, together so we don’t have to feel that again.”