Jorge Gonzalez takes a shot during the U-14 Force's win over the Thunderbirds. Lampasas Force U-14

It took everything they had, but the Force got the job done.

With only 11 players taking the pitch last Saturday against the Thunderbirds in Elgin, the Force's U-14 boys' team fought through fatigue in a back-and-forth contest to pull out a 4-2 victory in the regular-season finale.

"At the end of the game, I had 11 very tired but very happy players," Force head coach Jerry Barbero said.

Although they were playing without the luxury of substitutions, the Force were fresh in the opening minutes.

Anthony Velarde scored the first goal just 16 minutes into the match. Left defender Andrew Chapman set up the score with a long pass to Velarde, who quickly went streaking past the Thunderbird defense.

And the shootout was on.

Just four minutes later, the Thunderbirds answered with a goal of their own.

Intermission briefly interrupted the action, but the small break was all the Force needed to finish strong.

Walter Oosthuizen delivers a header. The Force's U-19 boys' team lost the match, 3-1, to the D-Town Montaz. Four minutes into the second half, Lampasas wrestled back control when Velarde scored his second goal. Striker Jorge Gonzalez got the assist.

But the lead was short lived.

The Thunderbirds responded less than two minutes later when a back-and-forth battle for the ball in front of Lampasas' goal resulted in the game-tying score.

After watching his brother dominate offensively, Adrian Velarde decided to insert himself into the spotlight. Nine minutes after the Thunderbirds tied the game, the center striker maneuvered around a desperation lunge from the goalkeeper to deliver the go-ahead goal.

In the final 10 minutes, the Force clinched the victory as Gonzalez fielded a throw-in by delivering a header down the pitch. Gonzalez ran down the ball and scored on a rising shot that cleared the goalkeeper's reach.

Next up for the Force is a postseason trip to Georgetown for a tournament May 23-24.

The U-14 Force's Derrick Cowan makes a play on the ball while Bailey Hilgenberg looks on. "I'm very proud of how the team played," Barbero said. "They played conservatively on defense and exploded on offense to exploit our opponent's defensive weaknesses.

"How we played [against the Thunderbirds] will prepare us for our upcoming postseason tournament."

Lampasas Force U-12

The Force did it again.

For the fourth time in five seasons, the Force qualified for the Capitol Area Youth Soccer Association Championship Tournament after destroying the Bastrop Thunder in the regular-season finale.

The Force needed just five minutes to post the match's initial score on the board as Blake Graham found the back of the net.

And the rout was on.

Gabreal Williams tallied his first goal of the season a couple of minutes later, and then

Graham scored his second goal of the match in the 13th minute after outrunning the Thunder defense and blasting a shot to the near post.

The Force went on to win in a shutout, 7-0.

Tristan Schroeder, Michael Brazell, Alex Ruehlen and Hunter Ozuna also chipped in offensively.

Defensively, Mason Morris, Caitlyn Shaughnessy and Analise Watson were instrumental in preserving the shutout, according to head coach Greg Ruehlen.

The victory clinched second place in the bracket and one of the top two seeds in the CAYSA Championship Tournament this weekend.

"Having finished second in the toughest bracket of the league, we're pretty confident we will be able to better our (fourth-place) fall finish," Ruehlen said. "A first-place finish would be outstanding, and I think we are definitely capable of achieving one."

The Force (4- 1-1) suffered their only defeat while playing shorthanded for a majority of the match, and their tie came against the bracket's top team, the undefeated Pflugerville Fire.

But success is nothing new to the Force.

In their first season together, the team won the CAYSA Classic Invitational Tournament and went undefeated during the regular season.

The next season, Lampasas jumped up to the U-12 bracket despite being a U-10 team. The squad did not earn a berth in the CAYSA tournament but finished the season with a winning record.

One season later, the Force made it back to the tournament, but the squad did not taste victory.

Although he has high hopes heading into the postseason, Ruehlen knows the road to a championship will be rough.

"We will be competing against the top 11 teams in our division from across Central Texas, so we aren't taking anything for granted," the coach said.

Lampasas Force U-16

The Force's U-16 girls' team lost to the J.E. Project in a three-goal shutout after lightning ended the game prematurely last Friday night.

On Saturday, the Force picked up a forfeit victory over the Tuzos.

Lampasas Force U-19

Lampasas' U-19 boys' team fell to the D-Town Montaz by two goals, 3-1, last Saturday.