The Lee High School’s boys’ soccer team’s first trip to the state tournament didn’t go exactly as players had hoped – but it was still a motivating experience. Lee lost 1-4 in the state semifinals against Pharr Valley View in Georgetown and ended the historic season with a 19-5-1 record.

“We’re blessed and honored to be here and represent Houston as a whole because it’s not just my team,” Coach Fidel Andrade told the Houston Chronicle. “There’s a lot of teams out there and a lot of coaches that sacrifice so much for a season like this. We’re happy.”

Andrade said several of his players were not able to take the field because of injuries.

“The players that got to play the game did an amazing job,” he said. “Just going over to Georgetown was an amazing experience. The players already want to get back there next year.”

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Two players, sophomore midfielder Heritier Byishimo and junior Selvin Guzman, received all-tournament recognition.

The team is very diverse and has players from many countries including Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Iraq and Palestine. Andrade said 16 players will be returning to the team next year.

Andrade said four universities are considering offering scholarships to about a half dozen of his players. In the past few years, nearly three dozen of the school’s soccer players have scored university scholarships.