Cinco Ranch is always down for a physical battle.

It’s something the Cougars faced every game in District 19-6A, it’s what they try to do to their opponents and its an environment they thrive in.

Cinco Ranch found itself in a battle on Friday, going up against a tough Kingwood team that matched them every step of the way. But the Cougars outlasted the Mustangs in the fight, and behing an early goal Cinco Ranch beat Kingwood 2-1, advancing to Saturday’s regional final in a gutsy performance. 

“That just comes from our district,” said Cinco Ranch head coach Ryan Searle. "It comes from playing Katy ISD teams every week, you have a mindset that you have to grind out wins and always be mentally locked in, because if you’re not, bad things can happen. It’s night in and night out and it prepares you for games like this. "

It took just 40 seconds for Cinco Ranch to score its first and what turned out to be the deciding goal in Friday’s match. The Cougars earned a quick throw in deep in the Kingwood half and  moved the ball around after the throw, where it fell to Adrian Correa. Correa shifted the ball on to his left foot, found space and took a shot from outside the box that beat the keeper and found the upper corner of the goal.

“That set the momentum for the rest of the game,” said senior centerback Ossian Elgstrom. “I know that we probably had some nerves but that got it out of the way quick and gave us some excitment. It really helped us.”

Cinco continued to dominate for the first part of the first half creating chances and pushing for a second but Kingwood was able to settle in. The Mustangs started being the aggressor late in the half and it carried over into the second. It was a physical batle, but one that both teams were ready for. Kingwood continued to press, but it was Cinco tht scored again, finding the back of the net when Ossian Elgstrom latched on to a corner kick and put the ball in the back of the net. Kingwood scored with one minute remaining when Giovanni Duque scored on a centered pass intto the box, but the Cougars held on in the final minute to secure the win.

“The guys at the back were huge, and that’s what they’ve done all season,” Searle said. “We’ve only allowed 22 goals all season and that’s fantastic, they bring it every night for us and it’s a big reason why we are in this position.”

Cinco advances to Saturday’s regional final, where they will play Seven Lakes in a match between two teams that know each other very well. The Cougars are ready though and are excited for the chance at hand. 

“You have to have a little bite and a little grittiness in games like this and I know that they boys have that,” Searle said. “They remember the playoff game against Seven Lakes last year and that’s bringing a lot of it for the game tomorrow. It’s going to be a fight. We’ll both put our best 11 out there and see what happens.”