By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — The La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies defeated the Brownsville Hanna Lady Eagles 2-1 on Saturday to win the Brownsville ISD girls soccer tournament.
A goal from the Lady Huskies’ Stephanie Jimenez before halftime was the difference in a hard-fought and contentious tournament final at Brownsville Rivera.
“It was a great team effort by the seniors and all of the team,” Lady Huskies coach Arnoldo Cardenas said. “This tournament win is dedicated to Huskies Nation. The girls worked hard for this, and hopefully it is the beginning of a good season.
“It was a great opportunity with some good competition. Last season we did not have a lot of girls participating in the sport, but right now they are coming back and they believe in soccer, so we will see how it goes,” he added.
The Lady Eagles fought hard during the second half to get back in the game. Tough tackles were common as the Lady Huskies looked to hold off the Lady Eagles.
Hanna nearly got things level, but Anna Barragan’s shot rattled off the crossbar. Barragan created space well for the shot, beating a couple of Lady Huskies defenders, but was unlucky that the shot did not squeak in below the crossbar.
“I feel very proud of the girls, they gave everything on the field,” Hanna coach Eliseo Guzman said. “They came back from being down 2-0 (on Friday) to win, and (Saturday) they gave everything.
“I want to congratulate Juarez-Lincoln, they played good, too. It was a really good final. The whole tournament was a success. The girls got a lot of experience, and district is going to be tough. We got to play girls in different positions,” he said.
Brownsville ISD Girls Soccer Tournament
Gold Bracket
Semifinals
Brownsville Hanna 5, Edinburg High 0
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 0
Third-place game
Edinburg High 2, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 1
Championship
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 2, Brownsville Hanna 1
Bracket Top Scorer: Anna Barragan, Brownsville Hanna, 18 goals
Silver Bracket
Semifinals
Brownsville Porter 1, Valley View 0
PSJA North 1, Brownsville Pace 0
Third-place game
Valley View 4, Brownsville Pace 1
Bracket Championship
Brownsville Porter 2, PSJA North 1, PKs
Bracket Top Scorer: Liberty Garza, Brownsville Porter, 14 goals