Mallory Henderson scored twice for McAllen High School against Victoria West on Tuesday. Five other Bulldogs also scored during the area-round matchup.
Donna North’s Gabby Aviles and Edinburg Vela’s Taylor Campbell are two of the Valley’s all-time leading goal scorers. However, it was North’s Nancy Espino and Vela’s Odessa Leal who knocked in arguably the biggest goals during their area-round games Tuesday night.
As teams get deeper into the playoffs, the whole concept of “we” becomes more important. For these three teams, having a superstar is good, but having a complete arsenal is great and is a major reason they are preparing for their regional-quarterfinal matchups tonight.
“Everybody on the field can take the shot and they will step up and make the play when needed,” McHi midfielder Chloe Fallek said. “Usually it’s our forwards, our wings who score, but even midfielders are looking for opportunities.
The Bulldogs play Corpus Christi Veterans at McAllen Memorial Veterans Stadium at 6 p.m. today. Veterans is coming off a 2-1 win (4-2 in penalty kicks after regulation and two overtime periods) over McAllen Memorial in the area round Tuesday.
Donna North head coach Tony Garcia has his team in the third round of the Class 6A playoffs for the third time in his eight years at the helm. He also has one of the Valley’s all-time leading scorers in senior Gabby Aviles.
But it was Espino, another senior who scored the game-tying goal against San Antonio Connor. Espino scored again during the penalty kick round, in which the Chiefs won to advance. Senior goalkeeper Michelle Garcia made a save and scored a goal during the PK round.
“Having multiple weapons and having other players who are going to come up big in the big games is always going to be key,” Garcia said. “It gives Gabby (Aviles) more comfort and it can put her at ease to play her game when she knows that there are others she can trust to come up big in the big games.”
Donna North travels to District 32-6A rival Los Fresnos to play the Falcons for the third time this season. The Chiefs lost the first matchup 2-1, before winning the second one 4-3. The Chiefs are on a seven-game winning streak.
“There’s a lot more on the line for this game,” said Garcia, whose team hasn’t advanced past the third round in program history. “We know what type of team we are and we are focused on us. We just have to do what Donna North has to do and does. We are extremely excited to hopefully write a new chapter.”
Vela’s Taylor Campbell, like Aviles, is one of three seniors who broke the record that stood at the beginning of the year by Sharyland High’s Katie Watson at 146. Campbell has 60 goals this year, a hugely impressive number, but Vela has 149 as a team, showing their offensive depth.
The SaberCats have six players who have scored, including Odessa Leal, who broke a 3-3 tie against San Anonio Taft as Vela advanced with a 4-3 win. Taylor scored twice and Natalia Cortez also found the back of the net.
“If you mark Taylor, someone else will step up and score. That’s something we’ve been working on all season,” Vela head coach Americo Cortez said late in the regular season. “We’ve moved players around from defense to offense and have a lot of girls who can score and who can play on defense. They can play anywhere.”
Vela, with a 19-0-1 record, will travel to the Laredo United Student Activity Center for a 5 p.m. matchup with Northside Brennan, which beat Harlingen High 4-0 during the area round.
McHi lost an all-star cast of players to graduation last year, three moving on to Division I schools. It’s the only girls team from the Valley to make it to the state tournament. McHi’s ability to move the ball up the field with pinpoint accuracy, and team speed, has set them apart this season.
“It’s really exciting to do the things we can do. We can have the ball in the back and after two passes score a goal,” said Fallek, who is more of a playmaker in the middle than a scorer, but still has 20 goals on the season. “We still have a strong foundation and soccer IQ and the ability to get the ball where it needs.
“It’s amazing to be able to rely on every single player on the field. That’s really an advantage and it makes us dangerous all over the field.