The 2025 Yellowjacket soccer campaign came to an end last Tuesday at the hands of the Henderson Lions. The Lions defeated the Jackets 4-0 in the area round playoff match-up at Longview’s Lobo Stadium.  

Henderson used a five-man backline to thwart every Mineola counterattack. The backline sandwiched striker Jonathan Ledesma, greatly limiting his scoring opportunities and leaving no shot from Ledesma unchallenged.

Maintaining a five-man backline should have opened up the midfield for exploitation by the Yellowjackets, but the aggressive play of the Lions largely ruled the midfield.

Henderson owned the first half, applying relentless pressure which was rewarded with two scores. 

The first came in the 14th minute. A Henderson corner kick was initially batted away from danger but not cleared by the Mineola defense. The ball ping-ponged about among a sea of legs before popping free in front of a Henderson Lion. 

Two strong strides and an unencumbered shot followed. Mineola goalkeeper Adrian Rodriguez had little reaction time, and the shot found the netting.

Three minutes later, it was a piece of offensive skill which put Henderson up two goals. Slicing between two Jacket defenders, a Henderson attacker put a strong shot off of the far post which ricocheted into goal. 

Mineola regrouped during intermission and came to the pitch with renewed purpose to start the second half. The Jackets began to string together passes and in addition to contesting the midfield, they began to make offensive forays. 

Michael Camargo, Gorge Zavala and Eddie Lucas led the reenergized efforts. The attempts to get the ball behind the Henderson backline – where Ledesma could run onto it – continued.

Ledesma managed a handful of shots on goal, but he was either harassed at the release or had his shot influenced by the defense. 

Practically every Mineola offensive foray was a one-off. Rebounds and second-chance opportunities were almost non-existent. Only two shots resulted in rebounds which the Jackets were able to put back as a second shot. Each went high and wide. 

In the 66th minute, the Lions struck again. A corner kick sent to the far post was headed down and a Lion finished the play from directly in front of goal.

Two minutes later a Lion nicked the ball away in the Mineola defensive zone and beat two additional Jacket defenders on the dribble before launching a beauty of a strike. 

Henderson clearly had won the day.

The Yellowjackets concluded a memorable year which was highlighted by a ‘never give up’ commitment and a sense of teamwork which hallmarked their play all season.