The Pearland Oilers came up short to district rival Strake Jesuit 3-0 in the Class 6A Region III quarterfinals, but head coach Scott MacNeish and his band of brothers should not be hanging their heads in defeat.
The Oilers boys soccer program is on the rise and, despite the loss, made historic strides for this season and the success they experienced.
Pearland (15-7-3) made the playoffs last year for the first time in ten years and their 15 wins this season are more than their last two seasons combined.
After beating cross-town cousin Dawson last year in the district finale to either advance or stay home in the playoffs, this season the Oilers built on that experience to get two playoff wins beating Clear Falls 3-1 in bi-district and Humble 2-0 in the area round — the Oilers were in the regional quarterfinals for the first time since 2006.
“Last year, we were just happy to be in,” said MacNeish in another publication. “Anything else was bonus. This year, we would have been seriously disappointed not to win the first round.
“Now it’s one of those things where I want them to enjoy it and play free. There’s a calm confidence from this team right now. The boys feel they can battle through anything.”
Despite the loss, MacNeish is building a solid soccer program in Pearland that will get even better as each year passes.
“It’s been hard,” MacNeish said. “We went through some rough years when I got here (eight years ago). About five years ago (the 2019 season) was probably our low. We were in last place. We had to reassess where we were at.”
In 2018-19, MacNeish was blessed with a great freshman class who are this year’s seniors and the results have been amazing.
There are 13 seniors on this year’s roster and they are the ones who have been responsible for setting a new standard and tradition.
