By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
The windswept turf at Brownsville Pace did little to slow the hosts and the visiting Los Fresnos squad during Tuesday night’s non-district showdown between two of the top girls soccer programs in the area.
For stretches of the 3-3 tie, the contest between the Lady Vikings (9-5-3) and Lady Falcons (7-4-2) resembled a track meet. At other points, it was a heavyweight fight.
The defining moment for Pace, though, came with just 3 minutes to play, when backup goalie Jovana Rodriguez sprawled out for a point-blank save to stifle a furious Los Fresnos attack and preserve the stalemate.
“ I was scared,” Rodriguez said. “I knew they were going to score because I could see the play developing, and I was, like, ‘Just get it out.’”
In a game that was mostly played on the sidelines and outside of the box, it was the only high-danger chance from such close range either goalie saw all night.
Pace struck first with a goal by senior defender Alexis Guajardo two minutes after the opening whistle. Guajardo and senior Marcy Garza controlled the tempo for the Lady Vikings, coming close on a number of chances during the first half.
“ It’s the nature of the game,” Pace coach Jesus Villarreal said. “Especially in non-district, these are two good programs. Los Fresnos is not an easy team (to play against).”
Villarreal said the intense wind, with gusts nearing 20 miles per hour, was a factor for both teams and could have resulted in a different outcome.
His approach to the game was similar to that of his counterpart, Los Fresnos head coach Patricia Hernandez.
“ The way we took it, tonight, we started district,” Villarreal said. “Los Fresnos is well-coached. It is a positive (outcome).”
Los Fresnos responded by netting an equalizer at the 26-minute mark, and after playing most of the game on its own end, committed a costly turnover that gave Pace the lead. With six minutes to go in the half, junior forward Pily Martin intercepted a failed clearing attempt and found the back of the net to put the home team ahead 2-1 at the break.
The second half was the Briana Gracia show. The junior again took several corner kicks for Los Fresnos, and she evened the game at 2 with a line drive into the top shelf over the goalie’s left shoulder from 25 yards out with 29 minutes to go in the half.
Both teams ramped up the physicality as the second half wore on. Sophomore Paloma Zamora drew a foul and was awarded a free kick. Zamora squeezed the ball between Los Fresnos defenders and past the outstretched arms of diving junior goalkeeper Sabrina Hinojosa, delivering in the clutch to put Pace back on top 3-2.
Six minutes and several close chances later, Gracia launched another long-distance equalizer that proved to be the contest’s deciding goal.
Villarreal praised his players for maintaining composure in a close game.
“ I have to give the girls credit,” Villarreal said. “The way we reacted, it was just like we talked about in practice. They treated this like a district game, and it showed.”