BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — The Soto triplets have competed on the soccer field together for years. Long before they wore McAllen High’s purple and gold, the trio — Sophia, Andrea and Giselle — has been tied together by age and their love of the game.
That’s why Andrea’s second ACL tear, which took place over the summer, stung more than any loss on the field.
“When she got hurt, I was very upset because I didn’t get the chance to play with her last year as much, because she had torn her ACL prior to the second one,” Sophia Soto said. “This year is basically me just coming onto the field and doing as best as I can for her. I know that if she was able to play, she’d be giving her all and I want to do the same thing. I want to play to the best of my ability and I want to make her proud, because I know she made me proud.”
All three sisters contributed as sophomores when the Bulldogs won the UIL Class 6A Region IV tournament, the first Valley girls team to do that, and competed at state.
“Since we’ve been 4, we’ve been playing soccer together,” Andrea said.
“We’ve been inseparable,” Sophia added. “Same team, always together on the field. So it was a really big change when she got injured.”
While the injury took a physical toll on Andrea, the emotional effects of losing a teammate to a possible career-ending fall weighed heavy. McHi decided to dedicate the season to Andrea, and she was able to stay close as manager.
“My time has pretty much been the same as last year when I played,” Andrea said. “Even though I don’t get to play, I’m always at the practices. I always like to watch and help (coach Patrick) Arney in the best way I can, and I always travel with them. They are really good at making me feel part of the team.”
Sophia said that her sister’s injury changed her outlook on the game.
“I wasn’t really feeling it at the beginning of the year. I was kind of going with the flow,” Sophia said. “When she got hurt, I realized I need to really start taking advantage of this. I can’t take this for granted.”
Sophia Soto, a forward, has continued her torrid pace at the top of the McHi attack. Ava Alaniz, who battled injuries early, has approximately 20 goals, while Sophia is nearing the 30-goal mark.
Giselle Soto has slotted in the starting defender role and is giving her team stability from the back end.
“Watching them play together on the field is amazing,” Andrea said. “I know their weakness and strengths inside out. Watching Gigi go from midfield to defense this year, she’s definitely made to be a defender.”
She admits watching instead of playing is a different experience but appreciates the work her siblings put in.
“They just continue to make me proud and I’m glad I can give them constructive criticism, and they’ll take it from me as a teammate and not so much as a sister, but also as a sister,” Andrea said.
Arney, who has coached the Bulldogs since the program’s inception, said it was a tough pill to swallow but depth came from the same gene pool.
“She’s a good defender,” Arney said. “We had penciled her in to start this year. We were really looking to seeing her and getting her coaching. It was disappointing. The great thing, though? Necessity sometimes breeds success. So, Gigi, the other triplet, has stepped up at defense.”
As for the current playoff run, McHi is back in a familiar spot against a familiar foe, Harlingen South. McHi reached the third round of the playoffs with wins over Laredo United South and Brownsville Hanna. South reached the regional quarterfinals with victories over Donna North and McAllen Rowe.
The Bulldogs and Hawks have met three seasons in a row. McHi has won all three playoff games.
Even with that, the team knows its game must improve to replicate last year’s success.
“In the past two years, we’ve had to mature really quickly in the playoffs,” Sophia said. “This year, I think it’s the same for the freshmen. They’ve had to mature really quickly. We do have a lot of pressure this year because we went to state last year. This year, we have to realize we don’t deserve anything. We have to go out there and earn it.”
McHi and Harlingen South travel east to Brownsville Sports Park for the regional quarterfinal match. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. today.