The Sealy Tiger soccer teams split with Navasota last Friday night at T.J. Mills Stadium where the Tigers lost their first contest within District 20-4A, 4-3, but the Lady Tigers won 1-0 on Elizabeth Reichardt’s penalty kick with 13 minutes left in regulation.

The Tigers entered the contest unbeaten in district play and held a 3-1 lead in the second half only for the Rattlers to tie the game three minutes later. With only 2:43 left in regulation, Navasota scored again to earn the victory.

“It’s never good to lose but losing can expose a lot of things we need to work on. I like to say failure is one of the best teachers in life so I just talked to them about that,” Head Coach Josh Kirton said after the game. “Obviously nobody was happy, everyone was upset, a lot of our seniors were upset so I just hope they don’t take it too much to heart because we still have two more games left to play so we need to respond.”

Sealy was set to travel to Bellville Tuesday before it hosts Royal, now the last unbeaten team in the district, Friday.

The Lady Tigers’ battle with Navasota was similarly tight throughout where neither team found the back of the net in the first half. Head Coach Sydney Jones said the scoreless tie at intermission wasn’t the end of the world but adjustments had to be made.

With the clock winding down, the Lady Rattlers were called for a foul in their own goalbox which gave Sealy a penalty-kick opportunity. Jones said Reichardt knew she’d be the one called upon to deliver and did just that.

“She’s been such a great utility player, we can literally put her at anywhere and she understands the position, she understands the field,” Jones said. “When it comes down to who’s going to take the kick, she stays calm, she’s very level-headed, she already has a plan and she goes with it.”

The goal secured a seventh straight win for the Lady Tigers and enacted some revenge.

“I think a lot of stress is off our shoulders because they were the only team we had lost to so there was kind of that ‘We want revenge’ aspect but we also talked about how you beat yourselves the first time,” Jones said. “With Bellville coming up on Tuesday, that is our big game. We really have to go into that one strong again but I think winning this one helps that confidence a little bit.”