TEMPLE, TX – In a clash that was worth the wait, the Temple Wildcats showed they have no quit, erasing a two-goal deficit to battle the Midway Panthers to a 2-2 draw on Thursday night.
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the District 12-6A showdown at the Temple Soccer Complex was pushed back by a cold snap—but the action on the pitch was anything but frozen.
A Tale of Two Halves
The Panthers wasted little time asserting their dominance. In the 15th minute, Midway’s Ed Abard broke the scoreless tie, latching onto a ball played behind the Wildcat defense and slipping it past the keeper.
Midway looked poised to run away with the match in the 37th minute when Landon Ruby capitalized on a chaotic set piece. The ball fell perfectly to Ruby’s feet directly in front of the goal, and he made no mistake, tapping it home to give the Panthers a commanding 2-0 lead.
However, the momentum shifted just before the break. Sophomore Uriel Rodriguez Quintero sparked the Wildcat offense, driving into the Panther penalty area before being brought down by a hard foul from behind. With only 18 seconds left in the half, Jean Carlo Bautista stepped to the spot and calmly converted the penalty kick, breathing life back into the home crowd.
The Equalizer
The second half was a physical, end-to-end affair. Both squads saw scoring chances clatter off the woodwork, with posts and crossbars denying several potential tie-breakers.
Midway’s offensive pressure was relentless, finishing the night with 12 shots on goal, but Temple keeper Angel Rojas was a wall, racking up 10 crucial saves. The defensive unit of Santiago Landeros, Pablo Sierra Gomez, Dominick Montalbo, and Landon Angenend remained disciplined under fire, keeping the Wildcats within striking distance.
That resilience paid off with four and a half minutes remaining. Javier Orzua Sanchez delivered a pinpoint corner kick into the box. In a repeat of his first-half heroics, Jean Carlo Bautista found the ball at his feet and buried it into the back of the net, sealing his brace and the 2-2 tie.
What’s Next
The Wildcats (0-0-2 in district) will look to build on this momentum as they hit the road. Temple travels to Leo Buckley Stadium on Friday, January 30, to face Killeen High (1-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
