By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
All the passion and intensity that make Brownsville soccer so enjoyable to watch was on display Tuesday night as Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Lopez staged an all-out battle for the District 32-5A lead.
Yes, the intensity of the match was at least part of the reason the officials made calls that didn’t go over too well with fans from either side. But then again, it was a perfect example of Brownsville soccer and its fierce rivalries.
After trailing 2-1 at halftime, Brownsville Veterans fell behind 3-1 midway through the second half of regulation before the Chargers’ Orlando Sanchez stepped up to score back-to-back goals during the 70th and 72nd minutes to make it a 3-3 contest that went all the way to penalty kicks before a winner was determined.
“This win just puts us in a better place and lets us know we have to keep working harder,” said Alberto Maradiaga, the Brownsville Veterans player who tallied the game-winning PK that enabled the Chargers to triumph 4-3. “We’ll keep fighting until the end.”
Maradiaga was helped in a big way by teammate Moises Navarro, who played goalkeeper for the Chargers and blocked two of Lopez’s five penalty tries, including the Lobos’ final attempt that kept the score 4-3 and ended the match.
The UIL season is barely out of its first month and already playoff-caliber soccer is being played as was shown Tuesday night.
“Lopez is such a dynamic team and I told the players we needed to make sure we were connected with each other from beginning to end,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “We couldn’t take any plays off.
“This win feels very good, but we have to put it behind us right away because we play Porter (at Lopez) on Friday,” Vasquez added. “We’re looking forward to what’s ahead. Hopefully it will be a very good season.”
Brownsville Veterans is now the sole leader in the 32-5A boys race with a 4-0 record and 11 points. Lopez is close behind with a 3-1 mark and 10 points. Porter is next at 3-1 with nine points.
And what can be said of the Lobos? Well, Lopez is Lopez. The Lobos, five-time state tournament qualifiers, continue to be a standard of success that other teams measure themselves against.
Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said it’s becoming another typical 32-5A race with the Brownsville schools out in front.
“It’s ‘deja vu’ from last year as the (32-5A) games are always very close and the season is young, so we must get ready for Friday’s game (at Mercedes),” he said.
AN IMPORTANT HURDLE
The Pace Lady Vikings won an important game on the road Tuesday by edging Donna North 4-3 in 32-5A action.
Alexis Guajardo and Kryssie Rivera scored two goals apiece for Pace in the win.
The Lady Vikings and Lady Chiefs came into the match with identical 3-0 records and nine points apiece. Now the Pace girls are alone atop the 32-5A standings at 4-0 with 12 points. Donna North and Edcouch-Elsa are tied for second place at 3-1 with nine points apiece. Porter and Brownsville Veterans are next at 2-2 with six points each.
The Pace girls play host to E-E at 5:30 p.m. Friday followed by the boys match at 7:30 p.m.
“Definitely an important challenge was passed,” Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “As expected, the Donna North game was a difficult one.
“In terms of the district race, it was a big step,” he added. “But there are still about 10 games left, so we have to keep our consistency going.”
31-4A, 32-4A START
Friday marks the beginning of conference play for Districts 31-4A and 32-4A.
The Lower Valley includes teams from 31-4A. Friday’s openers for the boys in that district have Rio Hondo at Raymondville at 6 p.m. and Port Isabel at La Feria at 7 p.m.
On the girls side, Friday’s 31-4A openers find Brownsville IDEA Frontier at Lyford at 6 p.m., La Feria at Port Isabel at 7 p.m. and Raymondville at Rio Hondo at 7 p.m.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess