The Tigers are in the midst of a torrid stretch to their schedule, and Carlo Mosnia is pleased about where his team is at.
After slowly entering the season during the holidays, Belton is now fully entrenched, playing four matches within four days, including this weekend’s trip to the Leander Glenn tournament.
While there is the potential for lots to be revealed about the team at the event, the Tigers’ head coach believes his players are poised to excel.
“We just have a good mentality this year,” Mosnia said, “and we don’t stop playing until the whistle. They all just play very hard, are very team oriented and always put the team over themselves.
“It is really paying dividends for all the guys.”
Tuesday, it showed.
Playing at Wilson Kerzee Field, Belton held a one-goal advantage within 45 seconds against Killeen Shoemaker and never eased up, cruising to a 7-0 victory.
With 31 minutes remaining in the first half, the Tigers led 3-0, and they entered halftime with five unanswered goals.
In total, four players — William Bralley, Ezra Kahler, Samuel Clark and Jorge Hernandez — delivered shots into the back of the net, helping Belton improve to 3-1-2 overall.
“Having so many contributors just proves the point that these guys are willing to outwork their opponents and be first to the ball,” Mosnia said. “That is when good things happen. We have been preaching that a lot this year, and the guys are all buying in.
“We are in a good spot right now, but we still have a long way to go.”
The Tigers entered the contest on the heels of their first tournament, traveling to Georgetown for the event.
Belton opened with a 1-1 tie versus Pflugerville Connally thanks to a scoring shot from Clark, while Bralley accounted for the Tigers’ lone goal in a 1-1 tie with defending state champion Kingwood Park.
After trailing 1-0 at halftime, Belton rallied to tie the contest despite playing short handed due to receiving a red card.
In their final match, the Tigers lost 2-0 to Austin Westlake.
Belton will attempt to improve on the showing at Glenn, beginning today, when it encounters the host Grizzlies at 10 a.m. The Tigers follow by playing Marshall on Friday at noon and San Antonio Cornerstone Christian on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Then, Belton plays at Harker Heights (Tuesday, 7:15 p.m.) and versus visiting Copperas Cove (Jan. 16, 6 p.m.) next week.
“This week is packed full of games,” Mosnia said, “so we are just trying to balance the guys’ minutes and keep them healthy. This is going to be a grueling week.”
GIRLS SOCCER
The Lady Tigers travel to Pflugerville Weiss on Friday for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
Belton is coming off a 0-1-2 performance at the ultra competitive Frisco Dr. Pink Tournament, where Lauren McKinney's goal helped the Lady Tigers earn a 1-1 tie against Frisco Lebanon Trail.
Later that day, however, the momentum was halted as Richardson Pearce produced a 2-0 victory, and in the finale, Frisco Wakeland delivered an onslaught of shots on goal. Despite goalkeeper Destiny Mendez's impressive showing, Wakeland won 5-0.
Following its trip to Weiss, Belton is idle until Jan. 15, when it begins play at the three-day Georgetown tournament.
