On Jan. 31, the Mineola Yellowjackets soccer side had their way with the Lindale Eagles, prevailing 4-3 at Meredith Memorial Stadium. Last Tuesday, at Eagle Stadium, Lindale took revenge, defeating Mineola 2-0.  

The first half was largely a draw as much of the play was a stalemate in the mid-field. Each side had to contend with howling winds blowing directly down the length of the pitch. Mineola worked with the wind in the first half and against the wind in the second. 

The best chance for the Yellowjackets came in the 16th minute. Noah Turner unleashed a free kick from 35 meters which forced the Lindale goal keeper to field it on the short hop. Leonardo Villanueva and Jonathan Ledesma hovered in front of the goalkeeper as he came close to losing control of the shot. 

A second free kick – this one by Gorge Zavala – was directly on goal in the 31st minute of play, but it was saved.  

Just before halftime, Lindale mounted a sustained attack. A long free kick was headed clear by Sebastian Klodnicki but resulted in a Lindale corner. Two subsequent shots were turned away as Lindale put immense pressure directly in front of goal.  

The match was scoreless at the half.

Lindale won the second half, and hence the match, with its horizontal passing game. Time and again, the Eagles were a split second ahead of the Jackets in moving the ball across the field. This horizontal movement freed up vertical space for attacks – especially down the right side.

Shortly after resuming play, Lindale put a long shot across the front of the box from an extreme angle. The shot took a deflection in front and skirted into the netting. Lindale took a 1-0 lead.

Lindale’s goal turned the momentum to the home side. It stayed there for the remainder of the match. 

Mineola had some better than average chances – shots by Ledesma in the 46th and 52nd minutes – but could not find the back of the net.   

Eddie Lucas put in solid work attacking opposite of Ledesma. Lucas earned a corner in the 50th minute, but the follow-on was for naught. Likewise, Eduardo Zavala earned a free kick in the midfield, but the free kick from Gorge Zavala was saved. 

Meanwhile, Lindale was attacking relentlessly. Mineola’s Adrian Rodriguez made a series of quick reaction, tough saves on hard-hit shot. In the 72nd minute, one of those saves, a punch-out by Rodriguez on a blistering shot, popped directly to a Lindale attacker who headed it home for the second goal of the night.   

Three matches remain on the district schedule: March 7 vs. Chapel Hill, March 11 at Van and March 14 at Grand Saline. The Jackets stand at 10-4 in district play and qualified for the playoffs with a 6-3 win over Chapel Hill Friday.