GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — About 10 minutes into the opening half of Friday’s bi-district matchup against Brownsville Lopez, Edinburg High’s Yessi Molina tossed a few blades of grass into the air to gauge the wind as she lined up a free kick.
Molina’s calculations were nearly perfect — her arching shot soared the 30 yards to the net before clanging off the crossbar, only narrowly avoiding becoming the game’s first goal.
Less than a minute later, Lopez scored on the counterattack to snap the scoreless tie. Although Edinburg High would threaten in or near the box, the Lady Bobcats never again produced a solid scoring opportunity as the Lady Lobos controlled the pace of play in a 4-0 win at Edinburg High.
The victory advances Lopez into a Class 6A area matchup against Laredo United.
“All week long, we had been practicing that the defense can not make a mistake. Not at this level, not at any level,” Edinburg High coach Cerjio Elizarraraz said. “You make one mistake, and you’re going to pay. But they fought for it. They fought to the end. They were resilient, and they never gave up.”
The Lady Bobcats, who finished the District 31-6A season 5-7 and were a heavy underdog against the District 32-6A No. 1 seed Lady Lobos, trailed just 1-0 at halftime.
Aside from Carla Garcia’s opening tally with 28:38 to play in the first half, Lopez had been kept off the board, barely missing chance after chance. Garcia had two shots go just wide of the net, Samantha Ruiz put one over the crossbar, and Jaky Olivares-Iracheta was unable to convert after finding a loose ball only 10 yards from goal. The missed chances left coach Alex Macias and his players discontented heading into the halftime break.
“He wasn’t very happy, because he expects a lot more from us,” Garcia said. “The way he coaches us, we weren’t doing that the first half. At halftime, he was telling us what to do to put our head back in the game, and we did, and we came out with the win.”
Lopez extended the lead less than two minutes into the second half. After Ruiz dribbled past a pair of defenders and put the ball off the crossbar, Olivares-Iracheta recovered it in the box and converted.
Garcia scored again with 14:16 to play to all but ice the game, and Kiara Garcia added an insurance goal late.
“You have to have imagination in order to get those shots,” Carla Garcia said. “Me and (Ruiz), that’s something we have in common. We know our plays and we connect very well with each other.”
Lopez could have had a much larger lead were it not for Edinburg High keeper Yolanda Reyes, who made critical saves in both halves and snuffed out other scoring opportunities before they could fully develop.
A JV player last season, Reyes stepped into the full-time role this year as a junior.
“Every week, she got better. Every single week, and I’m very proud of her,” Elizarraraz said. “It’s been a learning experience for her, as well.”
Elizarraraz is hopeful the season can be a learning experience for all of the Lady Bobcats, who graduate just four seniors from their 23-player roster.
Simply making the postseason was a significant accomplishment for Edinburg High, which had to win three of its final four games following a 2-6 start to crack the playoffs in a tight district race.
“Like I told them, we’re building,” Elizarraraz said. “It’s another block in the foundation that we’ve already started. The second year in a row that we get in, and I just wish that the outcome would’ve been a little bit different. Other than that, very proud of the girls that they played their hearts out.”
Edinburg High overwhelmed by Brownsville Lopez in bi-district loss
BY GREG LUCA
STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — About 10 minutes into the opening half of Friday’s bi-district matchup against Brownsville Lopez, Edinburg High’s Yessi Molina tossed a few blades of grass into the air to gauge the wind as she lined up a free kick.
Molina’s calculations were nearly perfect — her arching shot soared the 30 yards to the net before clanging off the crossbar, only narrowly avoiding becoming the game’s first goal.
Less than a minute later, Lopez scored on the counterattack to snap the scoreless tie. Although Edinburg High would threaten in or near the box, the Lady Bobcats never again produced a solid scoring opportunity as the Lady Lobos controlled the pace of play in a 4-0 win at Edinburg High.
The victory advances Lopez into a Class 6A area matchup against Laredo United.
“All week long, we had been practicing that the defense can not make a mistake. Not at this level, not at any level,” Edinburg High coach Cerjio Elizarraraz said. “You make one mistake, and you’re going to pay. But they fought for it. They fought to the end. They were resilient, and they never gave up.”
The Lady Bobcats, who finished the District 31-6A season 5-7 and were a heavy underdog against the District 32-6A No. 1 seed Lady Lobos, trailed just 1-0 at halftime.
Aside from Carla Garcia’s opening tally with 28:38 to play in the first half, Lopez had been kept off the board, barely missing chance after chance. Garcia had two shots go just wide of the net, Samantha Ruiz put one over the crossbar, and Jaky Olivares-Iracheta was unable to convert after finding a loose ball only 10 yards from goal. The missed chances left coach Alex Macias and his players discontented heading into the halftime break.
“He wasn’t very happy, because he expects a lot more from us,” Garcia said. “The way he coaches us, we weren’t doing that the first half. At halftime, he was telling us what to do to put our head back in the game, and we did, and we came out with the win.”
Lopez extended the lead less than two minutes into the second half. After Ruiz dribbled past a pair of defenders and put the ball off the crossbar, Olivares-Iracheta recovered it in the box and converted.
Garcia scored again with 14:16 to play to all but ice the game, and Kiara Garcia added an insurance goal late.
“You have to have imagination in order to get those shots,” Carla Garcia said. “Me and (Ruiz), that’s something we have in common. We know our plays and we connect very well with each other.”
Lopez could have had a much larger lead were it not for Edinburg High keeper Yolanda Reyes, who made critical saves in both halves and snuffed out other scoring opportunities before they could fully develop.
A JV player last season, Reyes stepped into the full-time role this year as a junior.
“Every week, she got better. Every single week, and I’m very proud of her,” Elizarraraz said. “It’s been a learning experience for her, as well.”
Elizarraraz is hopeful the season can be a learning experience for all of the Lady Bobcats, who graduate just four seniors from their 23-player roster.
Simply making the postseason was a significant accomplishment for Edinburg High, which had to win three of its final four games following a 2-6 start to crack the playoffs in a tight district race.
“Like I told them, we’re building,” Elizarraraz said. “It’s another block in the foundation that we’ve already started. The second year in a row that we get in, and I just wish that the outcome would’ve been a little bit different. Other than that, very proud of the girls that they played their hearts out.”