By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The Harlingen South Hawks picked up three wins in two days as they swept through their boys soccer showcase, capping the successful weekend with a win over Brownsville Porter.
Harlingen South defeated Sharyland High 4-3 and McAllen Rowe 4-0 on Friday. The Hawks’ biggest test came Saturday morning against the powerhouse Cowboys. Porter got on the board first on a goal by Jose Mateos during the first half, and the Hawks answered in the second half on a penalty kick by Ayden Hernandez.
Regulation ended with the teams tied at 1. Leo Torres, Joaquin Ovalle, Adrian Salazar, Ayden Hernandez and Carlos Hernandez all made their penalty kicks, and goalkeeper Dustin Sanchez made a stop on Porter’s final attempt to clinch a 2-1 (6-5) for the Hawks.
“It was a big win for us. We beat them in a scrimmage, but that game didn’t count. We knew they were going to come back stronger because we beat them, so we stepped it up,” Ovalle said. “We kind of fell asleep the first 10 minutes of the game, but we woke up after they scored their goal. Second half, we touched the ball more, moved and communicated better, and we tied the game and went to PKs, and everybody was hyped up about it. It was a fast game, and it showed us what kind of team we are.”
Porter defeated McAllen Rowe 5-0 on Friday and claimed a 1-0 win over Sharyland High as the Rattlers were unable to play due to injuries. Cowboys assistant Eddie Buentello was leading the team in place of coach Jose Espitia, who is in quarantine. Buentello was pleased with Porter’s play against South and offered his respect to Hawks coach Julian Robles for holding the showcase and giving the participants the opportunity to compete.
“The game was played at a very high intensity level,” Buentello said. “We played a very good first half, the effort was awesome on our side. Second half, Coach Robles made some adjustments and they were able to tie up the game. The kids had a lot of fun, and it was very beneficial to the whole team. We’re beginning to move the ball around and the team looks like it’s starting to come around, and I think this showcase helped that.”
Brandon Montes, Jose Mateos, Wilber Chavez and Oswaldo Andrade were successful on penalty kicks for Porter. Montes and Cowboys goalkeeper Isaac Acevedo were selected for the all-tournament team.
“Brandon Montes, he’s one of a kind. Every time he goes out there, he goes all out. He plays for the team, and we’re just very pleased with the way he played,” Buentello said. “Isaac, our goalkeeper, he’s a senior, he’s experienced and we’re very happy with the way he’s able to move the defense around. We have a lot of young players on defense, and he’s able to be a leader from his position. They’re very humble kids, and we’re proud of them and the team.”
South’s all-tournament honorees were defender Adrian Salazar, forward Isaac Garza and midfielder Carlos Hernandez. McAllen Rowe defender Emiliano Sanchez and Sharyland High forward Marcelo Rodriguez also were selected.