By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
Playing well in adverse elements has become routine for the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons.
Los Fresnos coach Patricia Hernandez figured that if her team could find a chance to get a lead despite the 47-degree temperatures and biting wind Friday night at Harlingen High, her backline and star keeper Sabrina Hinojosa would be able to maintain it.
The Lady Falcons did that and more in a 3-0 win over the Lady Cardinals, picking up another crucial District 32-6A victory.
“The weather was a big factor,” Hernandez said. “But that’s nothing that we can’t control. It was difficult for both sides.”
Despite plenty of offensive chances for each side, the game remained scoreless at the break.
“We struggled a little bit in the first half to find our momentum and to find our chemistry,” Hernandez said. “But we talked it out during halftime and we were able to make some adjustments. I just told the girls, ‘We’ve got to have patience.’ We had a game plan going in, and we were just looking for one goal.”
“We knew that we just had to slow it down a little bit, because we were playing kind of flustered (in the first half), Hernandez said.
At the 24-minute mark of the second half, a Harlingen High turnover allowed sophomore Hannah Wrinkle to go on the attack, setting up junior Jocelyn Gaznares with a clean look to put the Lady Falcons up 1-0.
“I took it from the right, and took it in,” Wrinkle said. “I saw the defender coming at me, and then I saw a white jersey there. I did a little tap and she put it in the net.”
It was gratifying for Hernandez to see Gaznares rewarded for her hustle after her forward nearly chased down several long passes, leaving the ball and a few prime scoring chances inches beyond her reach.
“We’ve been trying to work on finishing with her,” Hernandez said. “She’s got the speed for sure, so she knows at this point she’s got to stick with that last defender and wait for the pass from her teammates.”
With the Lady Cardinals trailing in the second half, Harlingen High’s Monique Rodriguez had a 2-on-1 opportunity on a close-range shot that was saved by Hinojosa and earned a free-kick chance that sailed above the goal.
Hernandez was impressed by the performance of her bench, particularly sophomore Kim Salazar, who scored the second goal of the game with 12 minutes to go in the second half, booting the ball from 20 yards out along the far sideline into the top right corner.
Less than two minutes later, Wrinkle found herself with nothing but open field in front of her. Her close-range shot deflected off the hands of keeper Olivia Lopez and found the back of the net, putting an exclamation point on the win.
“We did start off slow and we needed to come out strong in the second half,” Wrinkle said. “We definitely can’t let (the score) get to us, because the next game’s going to be hard, too.”
The Lady Falcons’ play late in the second half reflected their growing sense of urgency, and Hernandez and Wrinkle said they aren’t taking any 32-6A wins for granted.
“We needed this win tonight,” Hernandez said. “Because right now it’s a very close race between the four teams at the top.”