By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Every now and then, a game comes along that defines the heart of a soccer team.
The Rivera Lady Raiders played such a game Tuesday in the area round of the Class 6A state playoffs.
Trailing 2-0 with barely 20 minutes remaining at McAllen Memorial, the Rivera girls rallied to score three goals and win 3-2 against the Lady Mustangs.
Rivera’s first goal by Ashley Torres came with 18 minutes left. Then teammate Brigitte Iglesias’ tally evened the score 2-2 with five minutes to go.
Alyssa Ayala saved the day for the Lady Raiders by scoring with a little more than two minutes showing on the clock as the Rivera girls advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the second straight season.
It was definitely a night to remember for the Lady Raiders.
“The girls kept their composure and (eventually) played soccer the way only they know how to play,” Lady Raiders coach Peter A. Rodriguez said. “It was a great comeback. The psychological shock from being down 2-0, playing on Memorial’s field with their crowd, and one (of their goals) being an own goal (by us) was tough, but it only felt better (once we won).
“At the end of the game, the win tasted better,” Rodriguez added. “The girls were so happy and excited. They did it on their own. This is what they practice for all season, and this is when it counts to win big.”
The Lady Raiders next go against McAllen Rowe in the regional quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium. The winner advances to next week’s Region IV-6A Tournament in San Antonio.
The second game of Friday’s doubleheader at Sams matches the Rivera boys against PSJA Southwest at 8 p.m. with the winner also advancing to the 6A regional tournament.
Rodriguez said the comeback victory Tuesday was a landmark win for the Lady Raiders’ program.
“It shows how much hard work pays off when the girls work hard and give their best effort until the end of the game,” he said. “It shows how much talent there is in our community, and it definitely helps our program aspire and want greater things than just making the playoffs. The Rivera Lady Raiders have helped bring this program to new heights.”
REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS SET
Besides the doubleheader involving the Rivera teams, regional quarterfinal matchups for four other Brownsville teams were determined Wednesday. All games are Friday.
The Hanna boys go against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at 7 p.m. at Donna’s Bennie LaPrade Stadium, while the boys teams of Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Lopez are part of a doubleheader at Mercedes’ Tiger Stadium. Lopez plays Valley View at 6 p.m. and Brownsville Veterans goes against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial at 8 p.m.
The other Brownsville girls team still going in the playoffs is Pace. The Lady Vikings take on Corpus Christi Veterans at 7 p.m. at Brownsville Sports Park.
All of Friday’s winners move on to regional tournament competition.
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Hanna boys recorded another remarkable playoff victory Tuesday by prevailing in penalty kicks for the second straight game. This time it was a 2-1 triumph in PKs over Laredo United in the area playoffs at Roma.
When asked what it’s like to win back-to-back playoff games in PKs, Hanna coach Reyes Prado said, “(There’s) a little stress.
“My guys know how to win close games,” Prado added. “We never panic and always have faith in God and one another.”
United led 1-0 before a long goal in the second half by Hanna’s Hector Quintero tied the score 1-1 and eventually sent the match to penalties.
Converting PK attempts for the Golden Eagles were Adrian Rodriguez, Jose Pompa, Danny Rivera and Aldair Hernandez. Also, Hanna goalkeeper Victor Villarreal stopped two shot attempts by United in the penalties to help the Eagles win the PKs 4-3.
Hanna was coming off last Saturday’s 3-2 bi-district win in PKs at Edinburg North.
GOING STRONG
The Brownsville Veterans Chargers notched their second straight 4-0 shutout victory in the playoffs thanks to Tuesday’s triumph over Eagle Pass Winn in Laredo. Scoring goals for the Chargers, who led 2-0 at halftime, were Orlando Sanchez, Frankie Moreno, Albert Maradiaga and Felipe Esquivel.
“We’ve played very well the last two games,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “The kids are playing together as a team, which is very important at this time of the year.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess