NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
McALLEN — McAllen High knocked on the door the entire first half. And during the final 10 minutes before the halftime break, the Bulldogs knocked the door down on their way to a 4-1 District 30-6A win over McAllen Memorial on Tuesday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
McHi had both defenders and forwards pushing forward to chase the game’s first goal. The first shot on target came from defender Emily Gurwitz.
“We were definitely getting back into the groove of things. It’s been a while since we played a tough team like Memorial,” Gurwitz said. “Once we got our offense going, it kind of picked up from there. The whole back line did a great job of starting the offense from the back.”
McHi (2-0) kept possession for most of the first half, sending forward plenty of kicks but few that threatened Memorial’s defensive structure.
Memorial (2-1) defenders Geo Hernandez and Leilani Sanchez were strong to keep outside probes by McAllen away from danger.
Before the half was complete, McHi’s efforts at goal began causing stress for Memorial keeper Victoria Tanguma.
A corner kick at the 33-minute mark started the scoring. The kick bounced around in the 6-yard box before Paola Alvarez put the ball in.
“I just decided to go straight for the goal,” Alvarez said. “This is what we’ve been practicing: corner kicks, getting to the ball first, and just scoring. It obviously showed.”
Three minutes later, with the Bulldogs pushing forward, Zoe Flores was fouled inside of the penalty area, earning her team a kick from the penalty spot.
Even with all the weapons McHi has on offense, Gurwitz was called on to take the shot. The conversion to make the score 2-0 meant a little extra for the junior who recalls a costly mistake during her first season.
“My freshman year, we actually tied Memorial, and I had a handball in the box, and the girl finished it,” Gurwitz said. “We ended up tying in PKs, but it felt really, really good to get redemption from that.”
Another Bulldogs defender, Westyn Henderson, made a handful of determined runs in both halves, leading to near chances but not a tally of her own.
“It’s always better to have 11 players or 10 players than just five who are supposed to be playing offense,” Gurwitz said. “Whenever we see the opportunity on defense, your first look should be forward, rather than out or back or whatever.”
Ten minutes into the second half, Memorial’s improved play was rewarded, as they found a goal on a slow roller that Viviana Cruz sent home in a spot the goalie had just vacated.
The game reached its most tense moments in the 10 minutes following Memorial’s tally, when the Mustangs were pushing for an equalizer but coming up short of breaking through a second time.
With 11 minutes to play in the game, the Bulldogs bought some insurance. A cutback dribble on the edge of the penalty box gave Melanie Saldana room to attack the net. Her initial shot didn’t go in, but Sophia Soto was in the right spot to hammer home her third goal in two district games.
“I think as soon we get something going, it gets bigger and better on from there. We all gain more confidence when the ball hits the back of the net the first time,” Soto said. “Coach always says that it’s important to look for the rebound. The defenders around, you need to make sure you separate yourself from them.”
McHi’s Ava Alaniz used a similar cutback move as Saldana and finished her own chance to make the score 4-1 with three minutes to play.
Both teams played with an edge, which turned up a notch after McHi’s Miranda Munoz and Memorial’s Sanchez collided violently with about 15 minutes to play in the first half. No goal was scored on the play, but both players were shaken up and fans reacted on both sides.
The fans shouting, drum line in the stands and rough play were a constant reminder of how much the crosstown rivalry means to both squads.
“It means the world. I told the girls, ‘This is why we play high school soccer,’” Pat Arney said. “These are the girls you see all the time, and we want bragging rights. We haven’t lost to them in two years, and we want that to continue. They’re a hard team. They’re good team. … When you can get a win against a quality team like Memorial we’re really happy.”