NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
McALLEN — The McAllen Memorial Mustangs needed a late-game hero to tie their regular season finale against the McAllen Rowe Warriors and earn the extra point they needed to move into the fourth and final playoff position in District 30-6A.
That heroic moment came with five minutes to play off the foot of No. 10 Leo Saavedra, who tied the game at 2 and helped the Mustangs advance to the playoffs. Memorial claimed the victory 3-2 after winning penalty kicks 1-0.
Both sidelines were on edge as the second half progressed. Rowe needed a regulation win to qualify for the playoffs. Memorial just needed to extend the game past 80 minutes.
“A little cardiac arrest right there,” Mustangs coach Amando Bautista said. “I was this close to getting one. It was very good, very difficult, and thank God we came up with a tie, and it was more than enough. And not only that, but city champs.”
Saavedra’s goal came after the mass of humanity that formed in front of the net continued to kick away, trying to either clear the ball in Rowe’s case or hammer it in for Memorial. Eventually, Saavedra elevated the ball into a spot the keeper couldn’t reach.
District 30-6A boys soccer has regularly come down to the last night of the season to decide the fourth and final playoff spot. Memorial’s win and La Joya High’s 4-1 victory over La Joya Palmview were the final puzzle pieces to complete the four-team picture.
Memorial moved to 16 points with the win in penalty kicks, while Palmview stayed at 14 with a loss and Rowe gained a point in defeat to finish with 13.
Warriors striker Cesar Hernandez did his part to try to push his team into the playoffs. The forward made a dangerous run just two minutes into the game, but his pass was too far to find the foot of Fernando Morado.
On Rowe’s next march down the field, Hernandez did it himself, receiving a pass in stride and scoring to put the home team up a goal 2 minutes and 48 seconds into the match.
Rowe almost added its second of the night in the 17th minute, when Javier Pacheco’s initial shot was saved by Victor Espriella but a juicy rebound was available for Morado. His shot got through the Mustangs defense but couldn’t stay on target for the two-goal lead.
Memorial’s keeper was called on multiple times in the first half. At the time, the saves felt like tape over a larger leak. But as the game tightened, they proved vital.
“I was just doing my job, basically,” Mustangs goalie Victor Espriella said. “I really wanted to go to playoffs. It was a wish come true. Since freshman year, I wanted to make playoffs, and we broke that curse of not making playoffs, so I’m happy.”
Angel Martinez tied the game for the Mustangs on a kick that must have confused Warriors keeper Antonio Rodriguez, as the rolling ball eluded his reach.
“The feeling was amazing,” Martinez said. “We’ve been fighting the whole season to be in this position, looking for this position to go into the playoffs, and it feels amazing.”
With about 10 minutes to play, both goalkeepers were involved in a dicey sequence. First, Rowe’s Antonio Rodriguez fumbled a ball that had to be cleared by his defenders. Then, when Rowe sent a long ball downfield that had too much velocity for the forwards, a hard bounce turned into a desperation header save for Espriella. Both plays were near misses, and the 1-1 draw held until Rowe struck again.
After his free-kick shot was saved, Hernandez added Rowe’s second goal on the subsequent corner kick. The score came on a scramble in front of the net, not unlike the goal the Mustangs scored late in the game.
“I’ve taught them that we can never give up,” Bautista said. “It’s the same thing as in life: If something doesn’t go your way, you have to fight through.”
Espriella showed his strength with key saves on free kicks, sprawling to the turf to keep the ball out.
Memorial kept the pressure up the entire second half, but the Mustangs didn’t start to get more dangerous chances until the clock was in single digits.
Espriella said teams have overlooked his group all season.
“Other teams would say, ‘Ah, look at Memorial, it’s a step-over team,’ and I don’t know what came over us the last minutes,” Espriella said.
Memorial and District 29-6A champion Laredo United will flip to decide the time and location of their bi-district match.