BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
CORPUS CHRISTI — Senior Reyes Saldivar and the rest of the Brownsville Porter boys soccer team lingered on the field for a few minutes following their Region IV-5A semifinal loss to Georgetown East View.
Many sat or knelt on the grass, wiping tears from their eyes. Others shared hugs and good byes with their senior teammates.
A year after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1999, Brownsville Porter’s redemptive season came to an end with a 1-0 loss to East View on Friday at Cabaniss Soccer Field.
“I just told them we have to learn from this experience, and we have to come back strong,” Brownsville Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “We had several chances and couldn’t capitalize. They had one or two, and they scored. That’s the way soccer is.”
The chance that proved to be the decider came with 24:53 to play in the opening half.
Georgetown East View’s Ricky Aviles put a move on a Porter defender who was attempting a tackle, then buried the shot in the back of the net.
With the win, East View improves to 24-0-1.
“It was a very even match,” Espitia said. “They’re not an undefeated team just for nothing. They’re doing things right.”
East View appeared to be the bigger and faster team, and wet conditions that included occasional patches of significant rain made it difficult for Porter to overcome that disadvantage through passing.
“That was a great team,” Porter senior Reyes Saldivar said. “It was difficult to punish them. It was a good game. They were better than us. That’s it.”
While East View often had possession in Porter’s half, the Patriots seemed hesitant to pull the trigger on shots — a big reason East View never extended its advantage.
Porter, meanwhile, was just a beat away from converting. In the first half, a cross was inches too high for a header. Later, a shot by Alexis Armendariz was saved. Porter also narrowly misfired on cross attempts in the second half, and Armendariz had another prime chance blocked.
“It was an even match,” Espitia said. “In some sort of way in the second half, we dominated. We pressed them, dominated the possession of the ball, but nothing clear. We were just a little bit flat.”
Espitia applauded seniors Grabriel Trejo and Daniel Briseno for playing through significant injuries. He said they and the rest of the team “left everything on the field.”
“We were happy (with the season), but not satisfied,” Espitia said. “I think we had the team to go father. … We’re hoping next year that we come back strong with this experience already.”