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Snyder junior Christian Escobedo (right) shoots the ball past a diving Lubbock Estacado goalkeeper during the Tigers’ win at Tiger Stadium Friday. Escobedo and Daniel Esparza each scored two goals.
In just the second year of its existence, the Snyder Tiger soccer program is competing for a district title.
The Tigers took down Lubbock Estacado 4-1 Friday at Tiger Stadium to improve to 6-2 in District 4-4A play and set themselves up with a chance for a share of the district title.
After two saved shots by goalkeeper Kevin Miranda, the Tigers responded with several runs of their own, one of which resulted in a goal by junior Christian Escobedo, putting Snyder ahead 1-0 eight minutes into the game.
Two minutes later, Snyder drew a penalty kick, which sophomore Daniel Esparza fit into the bottom left corner of the goal, putting Snyder up 2-0 with 30 minutes remaining in the first half.
Snyder stayed aggressive and Escobedo found net again just three minutes later, getting past the Matadors back row for his second goal of the first half, putting Snyder up 3-0.
Snyder had another chance to score on its next possession, but Carlos Vargas’ shot was stopped by the Estacado keeper.
Halfway through the first half, Estacado got its first goal, drawing the lead to 3-1. The two teams hit a stand still for the rest of the half, with Estacado getting another shot off, which Miranda saved, resulting in a 3-1 score at the half.
Esparza scored his second goal just 30 seconds into the second half. Estacado attempted to respond and spent the majority of the second half on the Tigers’ side of the pitch, but could not put the ball in the net. Snyder held on to seal the 4-1 victory.
The Tigers have won four straight and positioned themselves for a shot at the district title.
Snyder will take on district-leading San Angelo Lake View in San Angelo at 6 p.m. Monday knowing that a win earns them a share of the district title.
The Snyder girls also won Friday, defeating Estacado 4-0 on the road. The Lady Tigers improved to 4-3 in district play and moved into second place heading into the regular season finale on Tuesday.
Snyder will host Lake View at Tiger Stadium at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Snyder boys’ statistics: Christian Escobedo, 2 goals; Daniel Esparza, 2 goals; Kevin Miranda, 3 saves.