Bel Air punches ticket to Class 5A state title match; Highlanders defeat Mission Sharyland, 4-1

GEORGETOWN, Texas - The Bel Air Highlanders are one step closer to another state soccer championship.

Thursday, the Highlanders defeated Mission Sharyland, 4-1, in the Class 5A state semifinal match.

The Highlanders remain undefeated on the season, 28-0-1.

Bel Air advances to Saturday's title match where they will play the winner of the other semifinal game between Lone Star and Pflugerville.

Things didn't start off well for the Highlanders in the match against Mission Sharyland.

Not even two minutes into the match, the Rattlers would score the first goal of the match via a penalty kick.

Mission Sharyland would take a 1-0 lead.

However the lead was short lived as the Highlanders would answer right back following a goal courtesy of Bel Air's Ruben Esparza.

That tied up at the game at one a piece.

Bel Air would then tack on three more goals in the match to secure the win.

Bel Air's Dilan Cazarez would score the team's second goal late in the first half to give the Highlanders a 2-1 lead going into the half.

In the second half, Bel Air would score two more goals courtesy of Oscar Ibarra, and Esparza.

Esparza would have two goals in the match.

The Highlanders last won a state title in soccer back in 2019, and now they are one more win away from their second state championship.