Meadowcreek coach Tyler LaFleur recently went back through Gwinnet County records and found only three playoff appearances for the Mustangs boys soccer program. All three appearances ended in the first round.
That changed last week.
Playing a man-down for the entire second half and overtime, Meadowcreek got a goal from Uriel Rivas early in the second overtime period and held on to stun No. 1 seed Central Gwinnett 2-1 in the first round of the AAAAAA state soccer tournament last Wednesday. The win was Meadowcreek's 12th, a single-season school record.
The Mustang players went crazy. Friends, fans and families stormed the pitch.
“It was a really cool moment,” LaFleur said. “Great for our school.”
Winning is a big deal at Meadowcreek, because, unfortunately, it hasn’t happened often at the transient high school in the center of arguably the state’s most talent- rich county. Athletes move in and out, and so do coaches. The Mustangs have had 11 football coaches since opening in 1986. Only two have had tenures longer than three years. LaFleur is in his third season and feeling good.
“Consistency’s kind of been a problem with coaching,” LaFleur said. “This is my first coaching gig, and part of what I’ve learned about coaching is that (players) need to rely on you. They kept having a rotating cast of coaches. It’s kind of hard for them to buy into it, if they don’t think you’re even going to be sticking around.”
LaFleur, a Gwinnett County native who went to Shiloh High School, has stuck around and now has the Mustangs in the second round of the state tournament for the first time in school history. Meadowcreek will face a Tucker at 7:30 p.m., tonight at Hallford Stadium.
The Mustangs defeated Tucker 7-1 earlier in the season, but will be shorthanded tonight. Senior midfielders Emmet Johnson and Gerardo Gomez will miss tonight’s game. Johnson, the team’s leading scorer, received a red card against Central Gwinnett and will be forced to sit out against Tucker. Gomez broke his shin earlier in the season and is out for the year. Senior defenders Josue Carrasco and Miguel Lara have backboned the back line for the Mustangs and will be looked up to keep the playof run going tonight.
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