By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — Harlingen South picked up a pivotal win against Donna North on Tuesday that puts the Lady Hawks in the driver’s seat for the playoffs.
“It was really important for us,” South captain and goalie Dell Davis said. “The loss against Hanna scared us. We wanted to stay in third place, and this win was big for us because it kind of secured the playoffs for us.”
The win put five points between Harlingen South and Donna North with only three games remaining.
“They have been a really hard team to try and compete with since they are so aggressive and were very much motivated to get a win, so it was a really important win for us,” captain and leading goal scorer Sarah Garza said.
Garza has scored 19 goals this season, but it was a goal from sophomore Alexis Fonseca on a corner that delivered the three points.
“We were practicing corners the practice before, so it worked out for us,” Garza said.
Both captains praised Fonseca for stepping up and scoring goals despite being an underclassman.
The win snapped a three-game skid for the Lady Hawks. Their last loss to Harlingen High was decided in penalty kicks.
“It was a little disappointing to drop a couple of games,” Harlingen South coach Omar Pedroza said. “We bounced back and are playing well. We have a couple of injuries that I am worried about. I am just looking to get them healthy.”
The Lady Hawks will face bottom-of-the-table Rivera and then take on a Weslaco High side that already has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Pedroza feels like this team is better than the inexperienced team he had one season ago. Last year, his team had to win to get into the playoffs.
“Hopefully we do not have to win to get in the playoffs and not have to worry about that last game,” Pedroza said. “We have the opportunity to get a little healthier going into Spring Break and going in the playoffs.”