Houston boys enjoy fast start, but can’t hold on against Seward

SEWARD — The Houston Hawks have spent basically all of the 2010 season playing from behind. But with two early goals, the Houston boys learned what it was like to play with a lead.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, Seward used a big second half to score a 4-2 win and spoil Houston’s hopes of posting its first soccer victory of the season.

“We played really good, but it was a hard loss,” Houston head coach Colton Conner said by phone after the match. “They kind of got a taste of what it’s like to feel positively that they can win this game. They’ve never felt that before.”

Seward converted a penalty kick right after the halftime whistle sounded and scored three times during the final 40 minutes to post its first win of the season. Conner said the penalty kick proved to be a key moment in the game.

“I think the penalty kick kind of changed things,” Conner said. “It kind of got the kids down a little bit.”

Conner said a referee called the penalty right as the halftime whistle sounded, and the Seahawks were able to put away the kick.

Houston was leading 2-0 until that point. Josh Bowman and Josh Anderson each scored in the first to give the Hawks the early lead.

About 15 minutes in, on a corner kick, Travis Patterson sent the ball short to Bowman, whose shot from the sideline hooked into the net.

During the 30th minute, the Hawks sent a pass down the middle of the field to Anderson, who put a shot into the top shelf of the Seward net.

On Friday, Grace Christian beat Houston 5-0 at Houston High School.

Seward girls edge Houston

SEWARD — The Seward Seahawks edged the Houston Hawks 2-1 in Seward on Saturday.

Paige Wagner scored the lone goal for the Hawks, a score assisted by Savannah Ritter.

Grace Christian beat Houston 4-0 on Friday.

Despite the loss on Friday, Houston coach Wendy Dodge was impressed with the work of her young team.

“It was definitely an improvement on the last time we played Grace,” Dodge said via e-mail. “The team was making great passes and their endurance was awesome.”

Palmer gets past Houston

PALMER — The Palmer Moose scored a 7-1 win over the Houston Hawks at Palmer High School on Thursday.

Shawna Thein led the Moose with two goals. Kaitlyn Berberich, Kristen Van Hoomissen, Anna Koehn, Megan Stark and Miracle Burton also scored for Palmer.

Morgan Morfe earned the win in the Moose net.

Amber Madrid scored for Houston, with an assist from Paige Wagner.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.