On Saturday Jan. 27, both the girls and boys varsity soccer teams played Katy High School for their third district games, expecting straightforward competition and to hopefully add another win under their belts. However, both games unfolded with unexpected intensity and left teams looking to improve their gameplay moving forward in preparation for their next games against Seven Lakes High School.
GIRLS
After an eventful and hotly contested game against Katy, Jordan pulled out a 2-1 win.
Alex Ledbetter ’26 and Ella Bizzell ’27 were the Warriors who scored the only two goals against Katy.
“Ella took the ball and scored all by herself,” senior Madi Lambert ’24 said. “But I assisted Alex on her goal.”
All the goals were scored in the first half. The second half was just a game of kickball between the two teams.
“We scored the first goal within the first 5 minutes of the game,” junior Jordan Knicely ’25 said. “Not long after that, we scored the second goal.”
The Warriors dominated the first half of the game by having the ball on Katy’s side for most of the game.
“We had the ball on their side of the field for the majority of the first half, which helped us get lots of shots,” Knicely said.
Junior Maddie Mech ‘25 suffered a serious injury while attempting to save a goal against Katy’s top striker Atiana Lara, leaving Mech unconscious on the floor. Katy striker Lara was sprinting at full speed when she toppled over Mech, resulting in a head-first dive to the pitch. The collision riled everyone.
“Players were constantly pushing each other,” said Jordan. “It got a little out of hand.”
Katy parents shouted at the referee calling for the foul, while Mech remained unconscious on the floor. The tension quickly spread to the players as some Warriors lost their cool and directed their anger towards the stands.
Not only were the players frustrated and angry, but they were concerned about their injured teammate.
“Grace was crying while Maddie was down,” junior Lucia Rojas said. “Because she started crying, everyone else started crying,” junior Lucia Rojas said.
The frustration continued after Mech was taken off the field with the medical car.
“Mech was on the floor,” Lila Bailey ’27 said. “Her skin turned red and blue after being down for 10 whole minutes, which seriously worried all of us.”
After being down for a total of five minutes, Lara was able to walk off the field.
Once both players were taken off the field safely, the heat of the game continued with Lilah Katz ‘26, Bailey, and a defender from Katy receiving a yellow card.
Sadly, Mech was injured in the first half, and with this being such a major concussion, she may not return to play this year.
After playing such a competitive game, the Warriors remain resilient as they prepare to face off against Seven Lakes on Friday, Feb. 2.
BOYS
The Jordan boys soccer team faced off against Katy boys soccer at Katy High School, expecting to add another win under their belt. However, the outcome was far from it.
During the especially windy game, both teams played their best, but neither got the upper hand. Both teams alternated control of the ball, moving back and forth across the field. The continuous exchange of possession created a dynamic and fiercely contested match, keeping the outcome uncertain until the final whistle.
“We all knew that Katy was going to be a better team this year, and something we talked about before the game was not to underestimate them,” senior goalkeeper Elijah Betancourt ‘24 said. “But unfortunately, we didn’t execute what we talked about, and that is what led to us only coming out with a tie.”
Because the boys varsity team defeated Katy the two times they had defeated them in the past, they expected an easy win. However, their opponents put up a strong fight, resulting in a tie 0-0. While Jordan did have roughly 15 shots on goal and one successful kick that was ruled offside, the outcome remained tied with no points scored.
Despite the offense’s inability to score a goal and take the lead, the defense was steadfast, preventing any of Katy’s attempts from finding the net. Along with Betancourt, Owen Rodgers ‘24, Noah Rogerson ‘25, Dylan Hout ‘24, Sebastian Arrieta ‘24, and Christopher Segura ‘24 were instrumental in keeping Katy’s offense at bay.
“We saw that the offense was struggling, and we knew that we were going to have to have our defense play to our best to be able to come out with any points,” Betancourt said.
Around 60 minutes into the game, tragedy struck for Rogerson. The left-back was tripped by a Katy player, resulting in a broken collarbone and a yellow card for the opposing player.
“I got tripped, and it was a nasty fall,” Rogerson said. “I landed on my shoulder hard, and it just cracked.”
In response to Katy’s resilience and strong defense, Jordan players began to become agitated and frustrated. Later on, Jordan’s starting midfielder, Marcelo Ojeda ‘25, received a yellow card for displaying disrespectful behavior toward a referee.
Despite their forceful competition, the team hopes to keep their head up and continue to perform at their best for the duration of the season.
“Our coach, after the game, said that we just got to get our stuff together and can’t be losing points to teams like Katy,” Aiden Erol ‘25 said. “In order to get a good seed in the playoffs, we’ve got to finish high on the table.”
The team will face their rivals Seven Lakes this Friday at Legacy Stadium, where the Warriors have only lost once in their entire career. Looking forward, Head Coach Jason Meekins plans on employing new strategies and adapting their approach to ensure they perform well.
“I think we have to play the games differently because of who we’re playing against, as far as what we try to do and how we’re going to have to try to attack Seven Lakes,” he said. “We have to do a better job of moving the ball quicker and also trying to find the right spaces to attack.”
