TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer came from behind twice to force overtime and then edged rival Sharyland High in penalty kicks to win 3-2 (4-3) Friday night in a battle between two of the region’s best teams.
The grind-it-out win — a complete departure from the blowouts both teams have scored lately — keeps the Lady Diamondbacks undefeated in District 31-5A (5-0, 6-3 overall) and gives them the upper hand moving forward. But it wasn’t easy.
Left wing Andrea Reyes came alive in the second half and scored the game-tying goal off a rebound with 11 minutes left to knot the game at 2-2. Pioneer, which dominated play in the second half, hung on the rest of the way and forced penalty kicks in a driving rain.
In penalties, the Lady Diamondbacks scored on their first four chances. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Vanessa Martinez stopped the second and last Sharyland High kickers to secure the victory. Martinez said a tight, tense game is to be expected when these two teams take the field.
“Every time we play, it’s a usually close game, and we’ve been prepared for this,” said Martinez, a senior who is her first year as a keeper. “We’ve been practicing for PKs, and we were really prepared for anything.”
Last year, these two evenly matched teams went overtime in both meetings, with Sharyland winning both. This game wasn’t much different, except for the outcome.
Sharyland (7-3, 4-1) and Pioneer moved slowly at first, like two boxers feeling each other out and waiting to make that first punch. Marifer Farias struck first blood when she poked one in with 10 minutes left in the first half, giving Sharyland a 1-0 lead. It looked as if the Lady Rattlers would keep that lead, but off a Reyes corner kick, Pioneer’s Nikki Cuellar headed in a goal through the goalie’s hands with no time left on the clock to tie the score at 1.
Two minutes into the second half, Sharyland’s Marcela Jarvis punched in a goal among a jumble of players to get back the lead, 2-1. Pioneer dominated play after that and had a few shots on goal, but it wasn’t until the 10:58 mark that Reyes’ goal tied game and eventually sent it to overtime.
“Anytime you face a team with type of program that Sharyland has, you have to be up for it, and our girls were,” Pioneer coach JJ Lopez said. “It was one of those games that was rough and tough, not dirty, but both teams went at it hard with plenty of enthusiasm. We knew it was going to be a battle, and we certainly did not want to lose at home. The girls did a good job.”
Sharyland coach Aaron Clemons said his team played well, but gave a Pioneer credit for playing a good game and hustling.
“We need to work on being first to that ball and just playing harder, playing a full 80 minutes when we are on the field,” Clemons said. “They are a good team. Anytime we play, it’s a real match.”