By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Regardless of the sport, late is always better than too late.
Alexis Hernandez’s goal with 50 seconds remaining in regulation prevented overtime and saved the day for Hanna, 2-1 winners over Harlingen South on Tuesday during a down-to-the-wire District 32-6A soccer match at Hanna.
The Golden Eagles have weathered a tough stretch of 32-6A contests lately, and Hanna coach Reyes Prado was glad to see one finally go his team’s way.
“We’ve lost some games because of the lack of that little chance at the end, that little push (to lift you to victory),” Prado said. “But that’s soccer. That’s what happens. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t.
“This is probably the first break like this we’ve gotten in the last five games,” he added. “That’s been the story of our season. This game could have gone either way. Hopefully Lady Luck will continue to give us a break and go our way from now on. That’s all we can ask for.”
Coupled with Rivera’s 2-1 win Tuesday against Los Fresnos, Hanna’s victory against South moved the Eagles back into third place in 32-6A at 8-4 with 22 points. Los Fresnos (7-5, 20 points) is now fourth, while South (5-7, 17 points) and Rivera (6-6, 17 points) are tied for fifth.
Two games remain in district. The top four teams advance to the playoffs.
Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Lopez (both 10-2, 31 points) share the 32-6A lead and each have clinched a playoff spot.
“Actually, we had a very young lineup tonight, and we knew it was going to be difficult playing here at Hanna, but our players showed a lot of promise,” South coach Julian Robles said. “Due to injuries and things, we had two freshmen and four sophomores in there. We just need experience. Our inexperience showed there at the end (when we allowed that late, game-winning goal).
“Our guys (especially the new starters) underwent trial by fire against Hanna tonight,” he added. “We played well and we had our opportunities against them. Hanna just came out on top.”
After it seemed as though no one would ever find the net during a scoreless first half, things turned in Hanna’s favor just 1 minute, 11 seconds into the second half. The ball was centered from the right side and Oscar Cordoba punched it in from close range to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
Hanna’s lead was short-lived, though, as South was awarded a penalty kick for a trip less than a minute later and Sean Muniz’s strong shot into the left corner of the net equalized the score.
Then, with the final minute of regulation ticking away, Hernandez sent a medium-range, rolling shot from the left side into the right corner of the goal to lift the Eagles to victory with 50 seconds to spare.
District action continues Friday as Hanna plays Rivera at Sams Memorial Stadium and South will be at home against San Benito.