The Lampasas Force U-11 team battles with the RRSA Deleon. Despite playing with only six players for part of the opening half, the Force lost by just one goal, 3-2. Typically, soccer is an 11-on-11 contest, but during the opening moments of a recent match the Lampasas Force U-15 team found itself playing against an unexpected opponent.

Mother Nature tallied the match's initial goal for the AU Screaming Eagles when, after Joshua Barbero deflected a shot on goal, strong winds blew the ball into the net.

Despite the early deficit, the Force rallied to win 3-2 after outscoring the Screaming Eagles 2- 1 in the second half.

"Outstanding defense, effective transition at the midfield and excellent passing up front allowed our team to dominate the flow of the game," head coach Jerry Barbero said. "We need to work on denying the easy shots in front of the goal."

In the 33rd minute, center striker Adrian Velarde delivered an assist to his brother Anthony Velarde, who recorded the match-tying goal.

The score remained deadlocked through the remainder of the first half, but the Force took the second half kickoff deep into the opponent's territory, where right striker Andre Zoggas found Javier Torres who chipped the ball into the upper left corner of the goal for a 2- 1 advantage.

Three minutes later, the Force added to its lead on Adrian V e l a r d e ' s scoring kick.

The two teams battled for field position over the next half hour until, in the 71st minute, the Screaming Eagles scored again to pull within one goal but could not get any closer before time expired.

"Overall, it was a great team effort," Barbero said. "Three goals with three different players scoring shows the versatility of our offense."

In other Lampasas Soccer Association action, the Lampasas Force U-11 team fell 3-2 to the RRSA Deleon.

Although the Force initially fielded only six players, the team was able to keep the match within reach but could not pull out a victory.

The Lampasas Force U-13 team lost to the AUCSC Bullets by a score of 1-0, and the Tri-City Express played to a 0-0 tie with the EYSA Wildcats in Elgin.