By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
The Rivera Raiders boasted standouts all over the field during the recently completed soccer season.
Among them were Julian Espinoza on the offensive end, Roberto Melendez on the defensive end and Kevin Zarrazagas in the middle.
All three received top honors in 2018 on The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Boys Soccer Team.
Espinoza, an attacking midfielder who scored 32 goals, is the offensive player of the year, while Melendez, a central defender, is the defensive player of the year. Both are seniors and four-year members of the Rivera varsity.
Zarrazagas is a sophomore who played different positions that included defensive midfielder, on the midfield wing and at attacking midfielder. He is the utility player of the year.
“ It’s very amazing (to be honored) because all the hard work is paying off,” Zarrazagas said. “It’s not just an award for me. It’s for all my teammates, too. Step by step, we’re improving.
“ We (players) put time into it, the coaches put time into it and every one of us deserves an award,” he added. “I tried to prepare as much as I could for this season and I felt pretty good about it, better than last year. I want to keep improving.
“ I thank my teammates. To the ones who are leaving to college, I say best of luck, and for the rest (of us), keep working hard for next season.”
The Raiders repeated as District 32-6A champions this season with a 13-1 record and advanced to the Region IV-6A Tournament for the first time since 2015 before finishing with a 22-5-4 overall mark.
In addition to their All-Metro awards, Espinoza was the MVP in 32-6A, while Melendez was the district’s top defensive player and Zarrazagas was the utility player honoree.
Espinoza is grateful to receive recognition since he had to battle through injuries during his junior and senior seasons.
“ I believe we haven’t seen the best of Julian yet and from these other guys as well,” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said.
The graduating attacking midfielder can’t help but feel blessed.
“ I never thought I was going to be able to come back and play the same way and at the same pace, but thank God, I did,” said Espinoza, who recently signed to play at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. “I thank God, my team and my coaches because without them I wouldn’t be able to receive these honors. It’s a motivation for me for the future and it makes me think these are not the only awards I’m going to win.
“ It’s a blessing to play for the Raiders,” Espinoza added. “Before I got to high school, I didn’t realize how important it was to play for this program. It didn’t take me long to find out. I thank this program and my Coach (Garcia) because he changed me as a player and as a person. For me, he’s the best coach in Texas.”
Added Melendez, who has signed to play at Laredo Community College, “I’m pretty much satisfied with the season. Yes, we wanted to win state, but things happen for a reason. I’m blessed to be part of this team and this program. It was a good experience for the ones coming back next year to go to the regional tournament this season.
“ High school doesn’t come back and these are the best years of your life,” Melendez added. “That’s what we try to tell the younger guys and for them to make the most of it. Thanks to the coaches because we’ve learned not just about soccer from them, but about life, too.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess