Robert E. Lee's Jazmine Navarro (7) and Rockwall's Keeley Hampton (15) both look ahead of the play for teammates, during their District 11-6A contest at Lee's Red Raider Field. ( Lang White / Correspondent )

Robert E. Lee is one win away from a District 11-6A soccer championship.

The Red Raiders used first-half goals from Luis Carrillo and Sergio Saucedo coupled with a last-second save by keeper Daniel Abarca to defeat Rockwall 2-1 Tuesday at Red Raider Field.

The game was the second half of a Senior Night doubleheader. The Lady Raiders were stopped 4-0 by Rockwall thanks to three second-half goals from the visitors.

The win for the Red Raiders pushed REL’s record to 12-1 (2-0 in shootouts) in the district with one game remaining Saturday at Naaman Forest. A win or a shootout win guarantees REL the district title.

The Lady Raiders lost the battle on this night, but won the season-long war. Thanks to a 6-1 victory later by Garland Sachse over Lakeview Centennial, REL clinched its first playoff berth in three years.

 

RAIDERS 2, YELLOWJACKETS 1

Following the Senior Night festivities, Rockwall nearly stunned the home crowd with a shot that beat Abarca, but not the cross bar.

That seemed to wake REL up and the Red Raiders controlled the remainder of the half. Junior Alex Ruben nearly got the opener when he muscled his way into the box, but his shot went wide.

Ruben found some space again near the right sideline, but this time played a perfect square ball to Carrillo, who settled with his back to goal before turning and firing a low shot that beat Rockwall’s keeper.

The score remained 1-0 until the 5:00 mark of the half. Saucedo settled a ball in the box with his chest and smacked a volley into the net before the keeper could react.

Carrillo hit the post just before the halftime whistle and was denied on a save by Rockwall’s keeper early in the second half.

Lee nearly paid for those missed chances.

Rockwall received a penalty kick when a Lee player was called for pulling a player back during a long free kick. Abarca kicked the ball away in frustration of the call and was shown a yellow card, so he had to be substituted for the PK.

Backup keeper Carlos Rodriguez did not have to move as the Rockwall’s taker blazed his shot over the cross bar.

Abarca returned to the net and was called on several times down the stretch. Rockwall finally broke through with 6:11 on the clock. Lee, looking to run out the clock, lost possession in the final seconds and only a save from Abarca preserved the REL victory.

“Getting this victory was big because we needed the three points to put us in position to win district,” Lee boys coach Marty Germany said. “It’s still in our hands now. I didn’t think we finished off the game as well as we needed to. We had too many loose plays and mistakes. We probably should’ve won by more, but we did what we needed to.”

 

LADY JACKETS 4, LADY RAIDERS 0

Lee entered Tuesday with a chance to not only clinch a playoff spot with a win, but put itself in the conversation for third place.

Rockwall, which needed a win to keep its district title hopes alive, did not allow that to happen.

The visitors scored once in the first half and added three more — one of them an own goal — in the second half to spoil REL’s Senior Night.

“I hate for the kids because we are much better than we ended up showing tonight.” Lee girls coach Chris Woodard said. “We lost two of our starting back players — one of them before this game because of grades and the other in the first half on an injury. I think it kind of affected things, especially in the second half.”

Lee forward Alex Bice forced Rockwall keeper Kristina Patterson to punch her looping shot over the cross bar to deny the Lady Raiders an opening goal.

REL’s Claire Carnes also had a flicked shot saved off the line by Rockwall.

The Lady Jackets scrambled for the first goal with REL keeper Lauren Nichols able to make a diving play to knock the ball away, but in the confusion it came to Bailey Wooten and she did not miss to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the break.

It was all Rockwall in the second half with an own-goal making it 2-0, a penalty kick by Wooten for the third and a long-range shot by Mican Larkin for the final score.