Lake Highlands soccer fell short in the regional finals Tuesday with a 4-3 loss against Allen, despite a commendable comeback attempt.
Lake Highlands men’s soccer celebrates a 2-0 win versus Richardson Pearce on February 17, 2026, at Wildcat-Ram Stadium. Photo by Mike Duhon.
Staring at a 3-0 hole at halftime, the Wildcats needed a miracle to keep the season alive. Lake Highlands nearly had one.
Asumani Salumu opened the scoring in the second half for the Wildcats with a goal that went through the net with 36 minutes still left to play.
Allen (22-4-1), however, responded. From 10 yards out, Mason Leslie delivered a strike to bring the Eagles’ advantage back to three scores. Feeling the pressure, Lake Highlands still didn’t back down.
Shortly after, the Wildcats lined up for a corner kick. The ball found its way to the box, where Owen Faris was able to convert on a goal to chip back into the deficit. Now, Lake Highlands faced a 4-2 deficit with 31 minutes remaining in the contest.
Just five minutes of game time later, Ivan Martinez made his impact felt for the Wildcats. Using his left foot, Martinez curled a shot into the top right corner of the net and suddenly Lake Highlands was down just one score.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Allen wouldn’t bow down. Needing to protect their lead with 26 minutes left on the clock, the Eagles stiffened up and did just that.
Allen’s three first half goals ultimately did Lake Highlands in. The first of those scores came courtesy of a corner kick from Harsh Kumar that Daniel Mogeni put in.
Joao Nunes and Pablo Guzman supplied the next two strikes, proving to be the difference against the Wildcats.
With the win, the Eagles have now beaten Lake Highlands in the fifth round for the second time in just four seasons, with Allen edging the Wildcats in a shootout victory in 2022-23. The Eagles move on to face Klein Cain (18-3-5) in the state semifinal.
Lake Highlands finishes its season as regional finalists with a 17-4-6 record.
