Lady Apaches FC season ends in bi-district shutout loss

The Gonzales Lady Apaches FC playoff run ended in the bi-district round with a 1-0 loss to the Floresville Jaguars Tuesday, March 26.

The Lady Apaches capped off their season with a 11-7-1 record and an 8-3-1 second-place finish in District 27-4A, the highest finish in the program’s history.

“I am incredibly proud of our girls. Like I was telling them, it's not the moment for them to be down on their selves,” Lady Apaches head soccer coach Shantael Trimm said. “We finished in third place in our district last year. This year, we moved up to second place, so even though we didn't walk away with our bi-district this year, we still made that huge improvement. I couldn't be prouder of them and I hope they're proud of themselves.”

Lady Apaches junior striker Bella Aguero recorded seven shot attempts in the bi-district loss.

Aguero said it was important to get those shots for her team, but sometimes, it was an off day for her.

Aguero scored 17 district goals and led the team, and Trimm knows she’ll be a key contributor as one of the senior leaders next season.

“She’s an amazing player. She's definitely a key part of our team. We love having her. We wait for her in anticipation to finish her basketball season. And so I think next year, she'll definitely be crucial because, again, we're going to be losing a really significant group of seniors this year,” Trimm said.

The Lady Apaches say goodbye to seven seniors: Madison Stewart, Natalia Martinez, Eva Moreno, Dakota Navejar, Christie Reyna, Kassandra Mendez and Mariela Grifaldo.

Trimm was very proud of the leadership they brought for the 2024 season.

“We lost a good handful last year. There were really significant parts of our team and seniors this year stepped up and they filled those roles and they were awesome leaders uplifting their team commanding the field. We couldn't have got this far without them,” Trimm said.

The Lady Apaches will have to deal with the district realignment, which the UIL has to yet reveal, but Trimm said they are ready for 2025.

“I think a lot of the teams are going to be facing a big shake-up just because there are so many of them that we saw. They're losing significant numbers of their team. And so, I think next year is really going to be a toss up in the air. We're have to go in strong, focus and just kind of see what we have to go up against.”

The Lady Apaches FC will return in 2025.