By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Every team in District 32-6A boys soccer is giving its best effort against the district-leading Rivera Raiders.
The Hanna Golden Eagles gave Rivera all it could handle Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium as the Raiders (6-0, 18 points) needed a timely second-half goal to prevail 3-2 and stay unbeaten in the district race.
“We feel very pressured in these (district) games but that pressure is converted into confidence, and that’s what helps us come out with the win in every single game,” said Rivera senior forward Alexis Herrera, who scored his team’s first goal and assisted on the game-winning score. “We like the confidence that our opponents come with, and it just makes us want to come up with the win.”
During the ninth minute, Rivera’s Eliseo Ortiz attacked from the left side and was near the end line when he sent the ball over to Herrera, who promptly kicked it into the goal from about 10 yards out for a 1-0 lead.
Then, during the 13th minute, Ortiz received a pass from the right side and fired in a shot from approximately 12 yards away for a 2-0 advantage.
Soon afterward, when Hanna (4-2, 12 points) had an apparent goal disallowed, the Eagles seemed to step up their game and scored twice before halftime to make it a 2-2 deadlock at intermission.
On the play during the 14th minute when the goal did not count for Hanna, apparently a high ball came in and took a bounce out of bounds before going in the net.
Undaunted, the Eagles tallied goals during the 22nd and 33rd minutes. The second one came on a blast from approximately 40 yards out.
The Raiders scored the game-winner during the 51st minute when Ortiz found the net on a header after receiving a crossing pass from Herrera.
With three and a half minutes left in the first half, Ortiz scored on a header but it was waved off on an offsides call.
“This was a test,” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said. “I felt that Hanna was the best team I saw at the BISD Tournament (in January). When I saw them, I was impressed. Obviously, every team has been getting better and better. Tonight, being down and then to play the way they played against us is the sign of a great team.
“We told our guys that it would be a strong test against Hanna, and that if we wanted to get a positive result, it would have to be a team effort,” Garcia added. “We didn’t play our best game, but you have to give credit to Hanna for that. They were pressing and fighting hard for every 50-50 ball, so you have to give them credit.”