After an 8-0 loss to a dominant Central Lafourche team, Hahnville had little reason to believe the playoffs were in the cards.
With just two games left against Shaw and Destrehan, HHS was on the outside looking in as far as the top 32 teams in Division I non-select, the cutoff for postseason qualification.
The percentages weren’t on the Tigers’ side.
But they did not care – not even a bit.
Hahnville captured a 4-2 win over Shaw at home Friday then finished the regular season with a 3-1 victory at rival Destrehan to defy the odds and secure a trip to the playoffs.
The win over Destrehan was especially significant for the team’s power points and vaulted them to the 28th seed. Hahnville will travel to face Baton Rouge Friday, with play to begin at 6 p.m.
Likewise, the Wildcats are set to begin postseason play as well. DHS earned the No. 19 seed and will travel to No. 14 Barbe, with match time set for 5:30 p.m. tonight (Feb. 5).
To beat Destrehan, Hahnville got goals scored by Simon Spitz – his a long-range shot – Aiden Zeringue and Bennett Asperin. Francisco Balderas had two assists while Spitz had one.
Against Shaw, Dani Medina, Emerson Freese, Bennett Asperin and Francisco Balderas each scored goals. Freese, Balderas and Zeringue each supplied assists.
This will be the fifth straight year Hahnville has qualified for the playoffs. For a young Tigers team that had a great deal of turnover from last season’s strong squad, the playoff experience will be valuable, win, lose or draw.
But they’re not quite ready to end the season yet.
The Tigers certainly showed that in their past two games.
“Shaw was a very difficult game for us, a very physical and emotional game,” said Hahnville head coach Matt Oubre. “And then with Destrehan, a stronger team, all of those same things applied. To win both required our focus, our determination and a really strong effort from the start of the match to the finish.
“And I think in the Destrehan game, our level was so high – the highest I’ve seen all season as far as emotion, players staying focused and competing every second for every inch of the field.”
Spitz’s goal was Hahnville’s first – a shot on goal from 30-yards away that found the net.
“That thing falls in and it kind of set the tone,” Oubre said. “It gives us a little bit more energy to keep going. And then we get another goal in the next five minutes.”
It snowballed. Before the 20-minute mark, Hahnville led 3-0.
It was a bit of a test for HHS. The team’s inexperience has been costly at times this season, Oubre noted. The Tigers talked at halftime about keeping the pressure on and maintaining focus.
“And Destrehan didn’t cave. They came out in the second half with a lot of fire, fighting and clawing,” said Oubre. “(Destrehan head coach Jhovanny Santamaria) moved a couple of their players forward and gave us some fits to deal with.
“Fortunately for us, time expired.”
Hahnville (8-9-3) had lost consecutive district games against Terrebonne and eventual district champion H.L. Bourgeois before the 8-0 loss to a 20-win Central Lafourche squad on Jan. 23. Those losses could have been a jarring, emotional gut punch for the Tigers had they not shaken it off down the stretch.
“From our perspective, we were good enough to win the district championship this year, but our performances said otherwise,” said Oubre. “Those were big games for us, so it was tough to then go play Central – we knew how good they are because we’ve played them the past two, three years.”
Instead of letting it deflate them, the Tigers went a different way.
“I just think the guys in that locker room, in practice, they picked up their level over the last few weeks,” Oubre said. “I think at the beginning of the season, our training sessions were a bit nonchalant. They took it upon themselves to commit to changing that. It was a huge shift in mindset and you could see it in them each day.”
Baton Rouge is 13-3 this season and represents a great challenge. It began the season on a nine-match winning streak and has won three in a row entering the postseason.
Last year, Hahnville was the No. 5 seed playing at home. The Tigers’ season ended in a heartbreaking upset loss against then 28th seeded Acadiana.
As difficult as it was, that match offers a clear point for this year’s Tigers: you can throw out the seeding because it’s a brand new season.
“I do think we’re probably one of the better lower-seeded teams in the playoffs. If we come out and compete in the way I know we can, we’ll give ourselves a great chance,” Oubre said.
Destrehan (12-6-4), meanwhile, has plenty to be excited about despite the rivalry game loss. This has been the best season on the soccer field for the Wildcats since 2019-20 and represents the strongest Wildcats team since.
Barbe (14-7-3) awaits in round one. Prior to the Hahnville game, Destrehan had lost just once in its previous 13 matches.
The Lady Tigers and Lady Wildcats are also preparing to hit the field for postseason competition.
Hahnville (8-9-4) has earned the No. 15 seed in Division I non-select and that nets them a home game in the opening round. Lafayette (11-10-2) visits Thursday night (Feb. 5). The Tigers enter playing their best soccer of the season, with four wins in their past five matches.
Destrehan earned a playoff berth and the No. 26 seed in Bailey King’s first season as Destrehan head coach. DHS (6-11-1) travels to face No. 7 Byrd (14-4-3) Thursday (Feb. 5) at 5:30 p.m. The Wildcats enter the playoffs off of a 2-0 win over Chapelle to close the regular season.
