By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Brownsville Porter Cowgirls’ solid play throughout the soccer season was rewarded Friday when they captured their first district championship.
The Cowgirls led the District 32-5A girls race from start to finish. A 2-1 victory at home Friday against Brownsville Pace gave the Cowgirls a 12-2 record with 34 points in 32-5A, which clinches their first district championship.
The Porter-Pace girls game, the final one on the 32-5A schedule for each team, originally was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was moved to Friday due to the threat of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
Likewise, the Porter-Pace boys game also was played Friday and was won by the Cowboys 2-1 on goals by Jose Mateos and Julian Gallegos. The Cowboys will be the third-place finisher from 32-5A with a 9-5 record and 29 points.
Still, the big news for the area in soccer this weekend was the Porter girls gaining their first district title. It’s a remarkable feat considering the Cowgirls began playing UIL soccer in 1997 and didn’t even make the playoffs for the first time until 2016.
Now the girls soccer program at Porter has another important achievement to take pride in.
Cowgirls coach Abraham Gracia said a couple things stand out as factors behind why his team won district this season.
“The main reasons I think our girls won district was their hard work and dedication,” he said. “These girls worked hard all offseason and during the season. All the girls showed up to every practice when injured, to Saturday practices, and even when we had to have 6 a.m. practices.
“Their dedication was awesome, and our coaching staff helped a lot as well, “ Gracia added. “I would like to thank everyone for their support — my wife, my parents, our administration and the coaches. God’s timing is always perfect.”
The Porter girls trailed Pace 1-0 at halftime on Friday, but second-half goals by Dennise Romero and Azaneth Perez lifted the Cowgirls to victory.
Despite the setback, the Pace girls (8-6, 25 points) still have a shot at the playoffs.
A 32-5A boys and girls doubleheader with Brownsville Lopez at Mercedes was played Saturday instead of Tuesday, with the Lopez girls winning 5-0 and the Lopez boys triumphing 3-1.
The Lopez boys (9-5, 26 points) and the Lopez girls (9-5, 28 points) are both in the playoffs.
In another 32-5A doubleheader Saturday, Donna High’s boys and girls were at Valley View, but scores from those matches were not immediately available.
The final 32-5A doubleheader with Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Veterans Memorial is pending and possibly could be played March 30.
Under the UIL’s revised playoff schedule, the postseason is now scheduled to start sometime after March 30, which was the original date to begin.