Winding up for the shot, junior Jake Ciccarello sees the opening. As the ball soars into the back of the net, the crowd roars cheers of approval. Ciccarello just tipped the first domino in the descent of Lake Travis’s district hopes.

With a seven game win streak, the Bowie Bulldogs aim to win by two against Lake Travis. Having lost 2-1 against them earlier in the season, Bowie needed a goal deficit of plus two if they wanted to secure the district trophy. 

“I was so happy because I knew that we needed to win that game to win district, and getting one on the board helped us so much, and I was just praying to God that we were gonna score one more,” Ciccarello said. “I did my part and Matt DeVaney did his, with 14 second left in the game scoring a second goal.”

DeVaney put the second hand on the trophy shortly before the end of the game with a break away run. Given that Bowie had the same record as Lake Travis, the district championship would come down to who scored more goals during the game.

“I think that stepping up in the first leg of the Lake Travis game was what solidified my position on the team as well as our hopes of the championship,” Ciccarello said.

Senior team captain Alex Luck plays a vital role on the defensive line. Luck tells us about the final goal and the atmosphere that followed. 

“I remember the play originally started with 30 seconds left,” Luck said. “They were taking a corner kick, and at that point, I thought the chances of scoring were pretty low. If they tied the game there they would have won district and celebrated right in front of us.”  

The corner kick was a pivotal moment in the game, with tension at its highest. This one play would define the seasons of both Bowie and Lake Travis and all playoff implications for both teams.

“I said to myself, we can’t let them celebrate in front of us. The ball came in and our goalie, Kaleo, punched it out towards Leo who started breaking away,” Luck said. “I thought, oh my God, this actually has a chance. Leo turned to cut back in and found DeVaney.”

After the second goal, the team held a defensive line for the last 14 seconds of the game, keeping the final score 2-0 and securing the number one position in district. 

“We have never been more excited than that moment, the energy was like nothing I have ever seen before,” senior Nico Colegrove said. 

Colegrove is a starting left winger on the team. While getting tired he continues to perform at the same level consistently.

“My legs get so tired throughout the course of the game but my mind stays sharp,” Colegrove said. “If I make one mistake because of fatigue then that could cost us the whole game, it’s all about the small moments.”

The team’s main goal is to come back and win district again next year. Ciccarello tells us about the difficulties they may have in the 2023-2024 season.

“We’ve already started working hard again,” Ciccarello said. “We had 23 seniors graduate this year so it’s gonna be difficult but I know we’re going to come back stronger than ever because we want Lake Travis’ spot more than ever now.”

 While seven seniors intend to continue their career as players in college, some of the seniors played their last game against Stoney Point in the first round of the playoffs.

“I intend on playing for Southwestern for my college career and hope that if I keep working hard enough that I will get scouted for the professional leagues,” Colegrove said.

With the season at an end, the departure of many friends and mentors can be difficult for the underclassmen. Many of the players will not see each other again after this year.

“I just want to say thank you to all the seniors that helped me this year, they are what will shape the team we are next year,” Ciccarello said.

 Coach Ryan Logan lead the team this season, and played a role in every one of Bowie’s games. Colegrove talks about the way that the coaching affected the way the team played. 

“Coach Logan has had a huge effect on the players’ mindsets as well as their physicality,” Colegrove said. “Logan’s coaching has really helped us learn a lot more during the year and season.”