McAllen High goalkeeper Lexi Gonzalez on Monday was named to the topdrawersoccer.com Winter 2020 High School Girls All-American Watch List.
The accolade ends up being part of a busy and celebratory week for the senior two-sport star. Last week, Gonzalez committed verbally to the University of Arkansas soccer team to continue her collegiate athletic and educational career. She is the third Division I soccer player commit on the Bulldogs squad, along with Ava Alaniz (University of Houston) and Westyn Henderson (Texas A&M).
Topdrawersoccer.com also has the Bulldogs ranked No. 11 in the nation, up one spot from the prior week.
“Lexi is fantastic,” McHi girls soccer head coach Patrick Arney said. “Talk about a kid who deserves it. She works so hard and is so talented. She’s really taking command as a senior this season.”
The 9-1 Bulldogs have given up just three goals this season, two while Gonzalez has been in goal. The other came in a 1-0 loss to Katy Tompkins, the state’s top-ranked girls soccer team according to the Texas Girls Coaches Association most recent poll released Monday, with Gonzalez on the sideline nursing a foot injury.
“Everyone on the team is so thrilled with the season so far,” Arney said. “Who would think that a girls team in South Texas would have that high of a national ranking? We looked good in a tournament in Houston where we lost in the championship and people are taking notice. It’s a confidence booster.”
Arney and the Bulldogs already hit a major milestone earlier this season, winning their 500th match as a program and coach.
Gonzalez, coming off a 46-3 season and The Monitor’s All-Area Player of the Year honors for the McHi volleyball team, will be part of a Razorbacks team that accumulated a 17-4-2 record, winning the SEC West before falling in the SEC Championship 1-0 to the University of South Carolina. During the season, Arkansas claimed its first defeat of a No. 1 team in school history, defeating North Carolina 2-0. It was also the first time an SEC team had beaten North Carolina by two or more goals.
The Razorbacks are ranked preseason anywhere between No. 8 and No. 10 going into the 2020 season, which begins in the fall.