By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Edinburg North doesn’t score off crosses too frequently. But if they see an opportunity open up, senior forward Diego Sanchez said, “we try to make the best out of it.”
The Cougars saw two such chances on Thursday, with Sanchez serving as both distributor and scorer on crosses that sparked a 2-1 win over La Joya Palmview on the opening day of the Mission Eagles Soccer Invitational at Sharyland Pioneer.
Realizing Palmview had a 3-4-3 formation in place, North instructed his players to avoid penetrating through the middle, as they usually do, and attack through the sides. It helped Sanchez cross it from the right elbow to Leonel Rivas, who punched in the header at the 20-minute mark of the opening half.
Three minutes later, North executed the same play. This time, it was Rivas who connected with Sanchez to build a two-goal cushion that withstood a late push by Palmview.
“It’s something we practice,” Sanchez said of the crosses. “But we’re not lucky to have it in a lot of games.”
“This time,” coach Elias Moran added, “we were lucky.”
It was the second matchup between the two teams in as many weeks. North (2-0) won 1-0 in the last of three scrimmages. The Cougars scored early in that match and maintained possession throughout.
North, again, controlled the ball during the opening half on Thursday. It relinquished control, however, after intermission, and Palmview (1-1) took advantage. The Lobos’ Jose Carmona drilled it from 15 yards out during the 31st minute, making the best out of a broken play following a throw-in.
It added suspense to a match that otherwise seemed decided. During stoppage time, Palmview came up empty on a throw-in. And moments later, the Lobos’ Lazaro Hernandez struck North’s Luis Altuzar on a set piece from 35 yards out that effectively ended the match.
“We should have won this game,” Palmview assistant Juan Hernandez said. “It’s just mistakes that cost us. Things like that happen. You can’t sleep defensively.”
North returns essentially the same group as last season, and Moran said that’s been enough to energize his squad in the early going. They finished 2014 in the area round — experience that Moran believes could propel the Cougars even further.
They’ve tinkered with lineups early, resulting in 1-0 losses to McAllen High and then Laredo United. But since beating Palmview in the scrimmage finale, North has won three straight, for whatever that’s worth.
They’re studying their opponents more closely, as they did with Palmview following last week’s match. They pay closer attention to formations, lineups and rotations, and are a bit more calculating in how to break down their opponent.
They believe in controlling the ball to give themselves the best shot at winning, and in turn limit their opponent’s opportunities. And they accomplished that, for the most part, on Thursday.
“Every game we’re motivated,” Sanchez said. “We all just want to win. We’ve played tough games. We don’t give up easily. We’re just learning from it.”