By FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — Leah Rivas-Leal was on target for the Lady Cardinals Tuesday night as her solo goal was enough to earn Harlingen a 1-0 victory over Edinburg at the Harlingen High mini-stadium.
“I think we played good today,” said Harlingen head coach Phillip Oxford. “We were a bit unlucky not to have scored more.”
Harlingen experienced a string of bad luck in the first half when the team had seven shots on frame, with two rattling the crossbar.
The Lady Bobcats goalkeepers were kept busy throughtout the enire game as Harlingen spent most of the time pressuring on Edinburg’s side of the field.
The breakthrough came just after halftime when Rivas-Leal got a hold a loose ball and ripped it into the upper netting giving Harlingen a 1-0 lead.
Lady Cardinals’ Kori Lytle looked dangerous the entire night. Her speed allowed her to get past defenders and get good looks at the goal. Her threatning crosses were also a constant danger.
The defense was ancored by veteran defender Caitlyn Hagens, who calmy cleared anything in her area. Hagens, a returning starter from last year’s squad, was one of a hand full of players that returned this year.
“Caitlyn is a great player and could be playing Division I soccer,” said Oxford.
Edinburg, on the other hand, had some success in the final minutes of the game, getting to the Harlingen goalkeeper at a much greater frequency than they had earlier.
The Lady Cardinals will participate in the McAllen Tournament before playing Brownsville Rivera back at home on Jan. 27.