By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The door of opportunity stands open for the Porter Cowgirls in District 32-5A soccer.
With two home games remaining on their district schedule against teams they defeated on the road by 3-0 scores during last month’s opening round of 32-5A play, the Cowgirls appear to be in a favorable position to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since starting UIL soccer in the late 1990s.
The Porter girls have come close to reaching the postseason before, but for whatever reason it just didn’t happen.
“Hopefully, God willing, this will be the year,” Cowgirls coach Abraham Gracia said.
Donna North (11-1, 32 points) leads 32-5A and has clinched a playoff spot. Three of the four teams behind the Lady Chiefs in the district standings will be in the playoffs as well, depending upon what happens during their final two 32-5A matches next week. Those teams are Edcouch-Elsa (9-3, 25 points), Pace (8-4, 24 points), Porter (7-5, 22 points) and PSJA Southwest (7-5, 22 points).
Donna High (4-8, 13 points), PSJA High (1-11, four points) and Mercedes (1-11, three points) are no longer eligible for a playoff spot.
The Cowgirls play at home at 8 p.m. next Tuesday and Friday against PSJA High and Mercedes, respectively. If things go the way they hope, the Cowgirls will be preparing for the playoffs, which start March 26.
The Pace Lady Vikings are hoping to reach the postseason as well. They last went to the playoffs in 2011.
The final two 8 p.m. district matches for Pace are at E-E next Tuesday and then at home against PSJA Southwest next Friday.
32-6A UPDATE
The top four teams advancing to the playoffs have been determined in District 32-6A girls soccer, but just who wins the district title remains to be seen.
The girls teams from 32-6A that have qualified for the postseason are Hanna (10-2, 29 points), Los Fresnos (10-2, 28 points), Harlingen South (9-3, 27 points) and Lopez (8-5, 25 points). Of the four teams, only Lopez, with one game left on its district schedule, is out of the running for the 32-6A crown. The best the Lady Lobos can do is finish second.
The other three teams have two district games left, starting with Friday’s 7:15 p.m. slate as Hanna plays Rivera at Sams Memorial Stadium, Brownsville Veterans Memorial is at Los Fresnos and San Benito plays South at Boggus Stadium.
According to the 32-6A schedule, at 7:15 p.m. next Friday, it’s Brownsville Veterans at Lopez, South vs. Harlingen High at Boggus Stadium, Rivera at San Benito and Los Fresnos at Hanna.
The match between Los Fresnos and Hanna could likely be for the 32-6A championship.
OFFICIALLY FIRST
The District 32-4A champion La Feria Lionettes (9-0, 27 points) are officially the Rio Grande Valley’s first team to announce a bi-district soccer playoff pairing this season.
The Lionettes will open the postseason March 26 at Monte Alto, the fourth-place finisher from District 31-4A. The match is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Before their playoff game, the La Feria girls are set to complete their 32-4A schedule at 6 p.m. Friday on the road against IDEA Frontier of Brownsville.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.