For the first time in program history, the Sealy Lady Tiger soccer team finished the regular season as district champions after a 1-0 win over Royal last Friday night at home.

Sealy freshman Elizabeth Reichardt’s goal with only 5:24 left in regulation was the difference-maker in the contest that featured wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour.

“I did not know it was going in, I thought I missed it by like five feet,” Reichardt said after the game. “I was right outside the box and thought, ‘I gotta shoot it,’ I was open and just had to shoot.”

Lady Tiger Head Coach Sydney Jones had a similar thought where she envisioned the shot sailing over the net before the wind guided it into the back of the net to seal the first district title in program history.

“I don’t know if there are words for that. When we started, we said we had two goals. The baby goal was to beat Bellville and we did that, then ended up beating them again, but it was never said to go out as district champs,” Jones said. “This feeling is just amazing. What they were able to do; I’m super proud of them and super happy the senior class gets to go out like this so now we work for the big goal which is to make it past the second round.”

For the second Friday-night contest in a row, Reichardt’s lone goal secured a Sealy win and now her and her teammates’ sights shift to the postseason where the goal will be to simply “keep winning,” she said.

“I can’t believe it, I’ve been waiting for this moment since seventh grade,” Reichardt said.

The District 20 Champion Lady Tigers will draw District 19’s fourth-place Rockdale Tigers in the Bi-District Championship.

Tigers claim No. 2 seed

The Sealy Tiger soccer team had already secured the No. 2 seed before the regular-season finale against first-place Royal last Friday night so the 2-1 loss – only Sealy’s second district loss – didn’t change the District 20 playoff picture.

Still, Head Coach Josh Kirton saw plenty of positives from the tight contest against another playoff team.

“In games like this, they always rise to the occasion. And we talked about having a standard but also never deviating from that standard; it has to keep or go above that standard for us to be successful going forward,” Kirton said. “Royal is a good school, has some really good technical players so for us to be able to battle and compete to that level, it gives me great confidence going forward.”

That, in addition to what Kirton said was one of the most successful district seasons in program history with an 11-2-1 record, will look to carry the Tigers into the playoffs.

“Thought we had a great district slate, obviously we were shooting for first; that was our goal. We thought it was attainable and we were very close to it but we just had some opportunities that we let slip away that took some luster off it but second place is still good,” Kirton said. “Playoffs-wise, it sets us up. Last year, they were second and went on a good run so hopefully we can keep that same juju going. At the end of the day, when we line up in the playoffs, it’s advance or go home.”

Second-place Sealy will draw District 19’s third-seeded Caldwell Hornets in the Bi-District Championship.