DONNA — Holding a 1-0 lead over the Donna North Chiefs with 1:15 left during the second half, the Los Fresnos Falcons’ Adrian Longoria lined up for a free kick from 30 yards.
With the wind behind him, Longoria sailed the ball over the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms and into the net to seal a 2-0 victory for the Falcons on Wednesday morning at Donna North High School.
“We knew they were going to come at us with everything they had because they were fighting for their playoff lives,” Falcons head coach Michael Miller said. “So, we knew we’d get their best shot. I just told my guys that they had to want it more. This was our chance. This district has been so hard this year. We went through so much from games being postponed, to the freeze and back-to-back games. These boys stayed with it and fought hard and found a way today. It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to get those three points we needed.”
One win away from the district crown, the Falcons wasted no time getting on the board. Five minutes into the match, Gilberto Garza corralled a pass inside the penalty area and put the ball through the goal before the goalkeeper had a chance to react.
Following Garza’s goal, the Chiefs’ defense tightened up, holding the Falcons scoreless the remainder of the half.
Needing a win to keep pace with Brownsville Rivera for the fourth playoff spot in the district, the Chiefs came out of the break on the attack, looking to erase their deficit.
The equalizer nearly came for the Chiefs when defender Alan Chavez found a streaking Enrique Rodriguez inside the box with five minutes left during regulation.
After controlling the ball, Rodriguez was met by a familiar site, a trio of Falcons defenders swarming to the ball, as the Falcons held on for a 2-0 win.
With that, the Falcons extend their winning streak to nine games, while securing the District 32-6A title. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ loss puts their postseason berth in jeopardy, needing Brownsville Rivera to drop their final two games to have a chance to get in.
“We are going to keep fighting until the end,” Chiefs head coach Andres Sanchez said. “Anything can happen. We just have to be ready and take our chance. If they (Brownsville Rivera) drop the ball, we’re going be ready to pick it up. We can’t afford to give up yet. There is still one more game. They still have to win four points. It’s not over until it’s over.”
The Chiefs (6-7) host the San Benito Greyhounds in their regular season finale at 6 p.m. Monday. Meanwhile, the Falcons (12-0-1) face off against the visiting Harlingen High Cardinals at 6 p.m. Monday, as well.