GEORGETOWN – Seven Lakes was not about to let this happen again.

For 70 minutes, this year’s Class 6A State Semifinal mirrored last years with the Spartans dominating in the first half but not being able to add to a lead before letting the opposing team back into it.

Last year, the Spartans weren’t able to answer back and ended up losing, but this isn’t the same Seven Lakes team. This Spartans team remembered what last year felt like, and what it felt like to almost feel their season cut short this year.

Seven Lakes answered the call, and it ended with a 3-1 Spartans win in extra time over Garland Sachse in the state semifinal, sending Seven Lakes to its first state championship game in program history.

“We couldn’t let it happen, not for a second time,” said Seven Lakes senior striker Hunter Merritt. “One zero up and then we lose, it was devastating last year. Whenever they tied the game, when they scored that goal, we got together in the middle and said we’re not letting this happen again. We worked together and we found a way to win. We fought and fought until we came through.

Seven Lakes came out on the front foot from the opening whistle. The Spartans controlled the game the entire first half, pushing numbers forward against a Sachse team that was happy to play deep and soak up pressure.

They made chances early and often and the pressure paid off in the 13^th minute when Hunter Merritt headed home a ball that had bounced around in the box on a Aidan Morrison corner kick, making things 1-0. Seven Lakes continued to pile on the pressure, with Kortay Koc hitting the post and the Spartans ended up with five shots on goal in the first half but weren’t able to add an insurance goal.

“We went through this last year and we knew what we had to do,” said senior winger Abdullah Soliman. “We couldn’t choke like that. It was just so much different this year, we have passion and aggression and we just won’t let it happen again. This team just finds a way to win.”

The Spartans continued to push for a second in the second half and came close in the 52^nd minute when Merritt had a shot bounce off the post and off the goal line. And missing those chances came back to bite the Spartans when Sachse tied things in the 61^st minute, with Lucas Story heading in a cross from Cooper Tea. It stayed that way for the rest of regular time with neither team being able to find a winning goal.

But Seven Lakes found its second wind in extra time. Hunter Merritt put the Spartans ahead in the 86^th minute when he latched on to a long free kick from Aidan Morrison and put the ball calmly past the keeper and just two minutes later Seven Lakes found themselves on a great counter where Alexis Matute volleyed home a cross from Soliman, sealing the win for the Spartans, as they hung on in the second half of extra time to make their first ever state championship.

Both Soliman and Matute were substitutes in the game, having that kind of depth was something that separated the two teams.

“I think this game ends with penalty kicks if we don’t have the depth and trust in our guys that we do,” said Seven Lakes head coach Jimmy Krueger. “Our guys looked a bit dead in overtime and I knew that we had some guys on the bench that could provide those legs and it really was the difference. As much as any coach will say guys on the sideline can make a difference in the match, it’s true and you saw it today.”

The Spartans advance to the state title game where they will play the winner of Allen and Dripping Springs, which will be played Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.

“We just have to come out, fight, and find a way,” Merritt said. “It’s that easy, we have to do the same thing we did today and find a way to win it.”