By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
After two days of pool play, the Gold Division quarterfinals were determined Friday at the 17th annual Brownsville ISD girls soccer tournament at Brownsville Sports Park.
In Saturday’s 9 a.m. quarterfinals, it’s Hanna vs. Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Los Fresnos vs. Edinburg North, McAllen High vs. Pace and Lopez vs. Laredo United South.
The semifinals are scheduled for 10:30 a.m., with the tournament championship to follow at 12:30 p.m. on Field 1.
Pool-play group winners were Hanna, Los Fresnos, McHi and Laredo United South. Their quarterfinal opponents were runners-up in their respective groups.
Los Fresnos is the defending tournament champion. One year ago, the Lady Falcons defeated Edinburg Economedes in the final.
The 34th annual BISD boys tournament also is being played this weekend at BSP with 32 teams divided into two brackets.
Porter played Harlingen South in the Gold Bracket championship late Friday night. McHi went up against Laredo United South in the Navy Bracket championship, also late Friday night.
The overall championship of the boys tournament will be played at noon Saturday on the artificial turf field at BSP.
One year ago, Porter and Rivera were crowned bracket champions in the tournament, but an overall championship match between the two teams was canceled.
NOT TO WORRY
It’s been a relatively quiet early stretch of the season for the Rivera Raiders, who are defending state champions after capturing the inaugural Class 6A boys title in soccer last April with a 28-0 record.
The Raiders (5-3), participants in this weekend’s BISD Tournament, are going about the task of reloading their team following the departure of a number of talented players to graduation.
The Raiders played at The Woodlands Tournament last weekend and went 2-1, defeating Round Rock 2-1 and McKinney Boyd 5-0 but losing to Humble Kingwood 2-1.
Rivera then defeated McAllen Rowe 4-0 in a non-district home match Tuesday before starting play at the BISD Tournament. The Raiders lost to La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4-0 in their first tournament game Thursday and came back to defeat Mission Veterans 4-0. On Friday, they suffered a 4-1 loss against PSJA Memorial before defeating Port Isabel 5-0.
“There’s only so much you can ask for (from your team at this point),” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said. “You’re talking about (varsity) inexperienced players. Right now we just hope and pray we don’t get any more injuries and we’ll be OK. We just had one (in the tournament).
“I’m pleased with how we’re doing,” Garcia added. “We’re not playing our best soccer, but it’s still early in the season. Last year I told my players to be ready for April 18, which was the state final. Now I’m telling them to be ready for Jan. 26, which is the District (32-6A) opener. That’s all we’re looking at right now.”
MR. LONGEVITY
McAllen High’s Pat Arney is one of only a few coaches in the Valley who has been at his school coaching girls soccer since the UIL sport came to South Texas in 1997. UIL boys soccer started in the Valley in 1983.
It’s been quite a journey. Arney’s teams have made the playoffs every year. The Lady Bulldogs were the Valley’s first girls team to reach the Region IV-5A final in 2007. Only two Valley girls squads have accomplished that feat since then.
McHi’s girls soccer program achieved its 400th victory Thursday at the BISD Tournament with a 2-0 pool-play victory against Edinburg High. It’s believed to be a first in the Valley.
“We’re lucky that we’ve had really good players and good support from our administration, our athletic coordinators, our principals, our parents and everybody, so we’ve been pretty fortunate,” Arney said. “Things have changed (in Valley girls soccer), for sure. The girls are much more competitive now. Before, there were good teams (in the Valley), but it was just one or two. Now, it’s hard to say who should be the No. 1 team or who should be in the top 10 because there are so many good teams around, so that’s nice to see.”
Friday, Jan. 15
Boys scores
Tournaments
34th annual Brownsville ISD Tournament
At Brownsville Sports Park
Gold Bracket
Game 33: Hanna 3, La Joya Palmview 1
Game 34: Laredo Martin 4, Rio Grande City 2
Game 35: Mission High 3, Mission Veterans Memorial 2, PKs
Game 36: Raymondville def. Donna High, forfeit
Game 41: Porter 2, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0
Game 42: PSJA Memorial 4, Rivera 1
Game 43: Harlingen South 1, Laredo LBJ 0
Game 44: Weslaco High 4, Port Isabel 1
Game 55: Mission High 15, Raymondville 0
Game 56: Mission Veterans Memorial def. Donna High, forfeit
Game 60: Rivera 5, Port Isabel 0
Bracket fifth place
Game 53: Laredo Martin 2, LJ Pamview 1
Bracket seventh place
Game 54: Hanna 4, Rio Grande City 0
Bracket third place
Game 59: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4, Laredo LBJ 1
Bracket consolation championship
Game 62: PSJA Memorial 4, Weslaco High 2
Bracket championship
Game 61: Porter 3, Harlingen South 1
Navy Bracket
Game 37: Lopez 6, Mercedes 1
Game 38: Harlingen High 4, Laredo Alexander 0
Game 39: Donna North 4, McAllen Rowe 1
Game 40: San Antonio Antonian 8, Grulla 2
Game 45: McAllen High 5, St. Joseph Academy 0
Game 46: PSJA High 2, Pace 1
Game 47: Laredo United South 2, Edinburg North 0
Game 48: La Joya High 2, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 1
Game 51: Donna North 7, San Antonio Antonian 3
Game 52: McAllen Rowe 10, Grulla 2
Game 58: Pace 7, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 1
Bracket fifth place
Game 49: Game 49: Lopez 5, Harlingen High 1
Bracket seventh place
Game 50: Game 50: Laredo Alexander 3, Mercedes 1
Bracket third place
Game 57: Edinburg North 4, St. Joseph Academy 1
Bracket consolation championship
Game 63: La Joya High 1, PSJA High 0, PKs
Bracket championship
Game 64: Laredo United South 3, McAllen High 0
Gulf Coast Classic
Pool Play
Pool A
Corpus Christi Carroll 1, Rockport 0
Edinburg High 4, Hidalgo 0
Edinburg High 0, Corpus Christi Carroll 0
Hidalgo 1, Rockport 0
Hidalgo 3, Corpus Christi Carroll 1
Edinburg High 2, Rockport 0
Pool B
Corpus Christi King 2, Kingsville 0
Weslaco East 3, Los Fresnos 0
Los Fresnos 3, Corpus Christi King 0
Weslaco East 4, Kingsville 0
Corpus Christi King 1, Weslaco East 0
Los Fresnos 7, Kingsville 0
Pool C
San Antonio Burbank 1, Corpus Christi Ray 0
Edinburg Vela 1, PSJA North 1
Edinburg Vela 1, Corpus Christi Ray 0
PSJA North 0, San Antonio Burbank 0
PSJA North 1, Corpus Christi Ray 0
San Antonio Burbank 1, Edinburg Vela 0
Pool D
Edinburg Economedes 3, IWA 0
Donna High 1, Roma 0
Edinburg Economedes 2, Roma 0
Donna High 4, IWA 0
Donna 0, Edinburg Economedes 0
Roma 5, IWA 0
Girls scores
Tournaments
17th annual Brownsville ISD Tournament
At Brownsville Sports Park
Pool Play
Valley View 3, PSJA Memorial 1
Laredo LBJ 2, Edinburg Economedes 1, PKs
Laredo Martin 2, Edinburg High 1, PKs
Laredo United South 2, Edinburg North 1
Hanna 3, PSJA North 1
Los Fresnos 2, Lopez 1
McAllen High 2, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 0
Harlingen High 2, Rivera 0
La Joya High 5, Rio Hondo 0
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 5, Progreso 0
Mission High 1, La Feria 0
La Joya Palmview 1, Hidalgo 0
Pace 2, PSJA Memorial 0
Edinburg Economedes 2, Donna High 0
Porter 1, Edinburg High 0
Edinburg North 1, PSJA High 0, PKs
PSJA North 3, Valley View 2, PKs
Laredo LBJ 2, Los Fresnos 1
McAllen High 2, Laredo Martin 0
Laredo United South 2, Harlingen High 1
Hanna 6, Rio Hondo 0
Lopez 6, Progreso 0
Brownsville Veterans Memorial 1, La Feria 0
Rivera 2, Hidalgo 0
La Joya High 2, Pace 1
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 1, Donna High 0
Porter 1, Mission High 0, PKs
Palmview 1, PSJA High 0
Hanna 5, Valley View 0
Lopez 1, Laredo LBJ 0, PKs
Brownsville Veterans Memorial 3, Laredo Martin 0
Laredo United South 4, Rivera 0
PSJA North 5, Rio Hondo 0
Los Fresnos 8, Progreso 0
McAllen High 3, La Feria 1
Harlingen High 1, Hidalgo 0
Pace 4, Valley View 0
Laredo LBJ 2, Donna High 1
Laredo Martin 3, Porter 1
Laredo United South 4, PSJA High 0
La Joya High 1, PSJA Memorial 0
Edinburg Economedes 1, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 0
Edinburg High 2, Mission High 0
Edinburg North 3, La Joya Palmview 0
Edcouch-Elsa Showcase
Winner’s Bracket
Sharyland High 2, Harlingen South 1, PKs
Edcouch-Elsa 3, Edinburg Vela 0
Consolation Bracket
Mission Veterans Memorial 2, Edinburg IDEA Quest 0
Grulla 2, Lyford 1, PKs
Edinburg IDEA Quest 7, Lyford 0
Non-District
Raymondville at Rio Grande City, not reported