‘We need to get better’: Roy’s boys soccer rebuild endures third region loss
Late red card challenges, but doesn't stop, West Field from 3-2 home win on Thursday
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- Roy High’s Tryston Ares, left, is comforted by Oscar Trillo following a 3-2 loss at West Field in a nonregion boys soccer contest on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at West Field High School in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Jaime Ramirez fires off a penalty kick against Roy High during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at West Field High School in Taylor.
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- Roy High’s Giovanni Ciolino, left, and Asher Hunt, right, celebrate a goal during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at West Field High School in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Jackson Roche, middle 18, toward Roy High’s Sylus Nodurft during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at West Field High School in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Ezra Morrison, left, battles Roy High’s Corbin Socwell for possession during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at West Field High School in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Beckham boots it during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at West Field High School in Taylor.
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- West Field celebrates a goal against Roy High during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at West Field High School in Taylor.
TAYLOR — Dejected and exhausted, Roy High boys soccer lifted each other off the ground and passed through the handshake line with neighboring West Field after a second region loss on Thursday after flipping the match on its head with under two minutes to play.
Forward Asher Hunt chased down a late penalty kick, rattling off West Field keeper Beckham Miller’s block, and scored for a 3-2 deficit with 1:56 left to play. The sequence included a red card issued to Miller, and the Longhorns sent out Ethan Nelson to finish the match.
With new life, Roy pieced together a run with Hunt lining up midfielder Tryston Ares with a game-tying attempt. The sophomore’s shot sailed wide right of the goal, and with it, West Field (3-4, 1-1 Region 5) chalked up its third win of the season.
David Bischoff, the right-hand man to former Royals (0-6, 0-3) coach Craig Charlesworth for the past two seasons, didn’t mince words following yet another loss.
“We definitely had a shot,” Bischoff said. “I thought West Field outworked us a bit in the game. Their forwards are super fast and they gave us a lot of trouble, but the boys hung in there. There’s positives to take from it, but obviously we want to get better. We need to get better.”
Roy’s original sin arrived with a Jaime Ramirez penalty kick for West Field three minutes into the match.
West Field’s senior midfielder produced the game’s first goal and, after a 1-1 halftime score, he’d return for an assist to senior Kash Bishop to reclaim the lead 2-1 after 10 minutes back on the pitch.
Five minutes later, senior Jackson Roche upgraded the Horns to a two-goal advantage.
That second half included a handful of warnings and whistles alike, but Bishop said that brand of adrenaline-pumping soccer is what’s enabling West Field to win. Already, the Longhorns have more wins this month than the entirety of last year’s 2-15 inaugural campaign.
“We’re pretty good at keeping our head,” Bishop said. “It actually helps us in the second half. We’ve actually tended to play better under pressure and when we need to come back from a deficit, so I don’t think it phases us at all.”
He continued:
“One of our biggest goals is to set a culture. Be 15 minutes early to practice, warm up together. We’re really big on not being negative because last year we were really negative, so we always try to keep each other accountable with our actions, and that’s our biggest goal.”
Across the field, Bischoff and the Royals took the first step toward regrouping for next week’s home follow-up with Bonneville on March 24.
Asked about this year’s team, Bischoff said a lack of returning leadership has taken its toll on Roy’s nonregion schedule, but that Thursday’s match was anything but discouraging as his boys battled back in the final minutes to give themselves a chance.
“It’s a new group of boys,” Bischoff said. “We graduated 10 seniors from last year and from the year before that, like 12, so it’s been a turnover. And the problem with this group is none of these boys — like two of them had any varsity experience coming into the year. It’s been hard getting used to the pace of the game.
“I think that’s the main thing for it, and we’re slowly getting there.”
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
