BROWNSVILLE – Wrilyn Shippey scored on a free kick from 40 yards out and Smithson Valley advanced to next week’s UIL Class 5A state tournament with a 1-0 victory over McAllen High on Saturday at the Brownsville Sports Complex.

Shippey scored with 2:36 remaining against a tenacious McAllen High defense that played its finest game of the year on a day it required perfection against a 27-0 team that has outscored opponents 26-3 in four playoff games.

The Rangers were challenged just a few times this year, including a 2-1 win over Leander during an early season tournament. McAllen High defeated Leander 2-1 to set up the match against Smithson Valley. The Rangers scored 132 goals this season and allowed nine.

The goal overshadowed arguably the performance of the year across the Valley from goalkeeper Allison Tawil. The sophomore registered more than a dozen saves. She dove, fell, and jumped and collapsed – whatever it took – all over the penalty box in what could be described as an elite performance against an offense that that jus kept reloading. The Rangers controlled the ball for close to 85% of the second half and unleashed a flurry of shots.

“I just follow the ball and go with my heart and my gut,” Tawil said. “In the beginning, I was frantic and freaking out. Toward the end I started calming down and the save on the PK calmed me down. I knew where she was going because she looked at the right corner when the referee started.”

The shot that got to the back of the net came off a replay after Shippey took the free kick prior to the whistle blowing. In Texas UIL that is not a penalty, but a rekick. Shippey hit a low line drive that skid along the grass before reaching, and passing Tawil.

“I thought we had them after Allie made that save,” McAllen High head coach Patrick Arney said. “Our chance is coming. The longer the game went I thought the better it was for us. We’re going to get it and that’s all we needed, one chance. We just didn’t get it.”

Earlier in the half, among all the goal-saving stops, Tawil also stopped a penalty kick with 36:08 remaining as Smithson Valley amped up the offensive pressure. During the next seven minutes, she made no fewer than five more saves and the lone time she wasn’t where the ball was, sophomore teammate Gabby Gonzalez was in goal playing defense and rejected another attempt.

The McHi defense was also playing on point, stopping a team that averaged more than five goals per game this season. Gonzalez was all over the field from sideline to sideline and endline to endline. Maisen Dubrule had what coaches said may have been her best performance of the year, parroting what they said after the previous match against Leander. Time and again Haley Nixon and Camille Diaz sent balls back to midfield following another onslaught of Rangers attempts, led by University of Cincinnati commit Sabrina Taber, who scored twice on Friday against McAllen Memorial in a 6-0 win.

“The played exactly the way I expected them to play,” Smithson Valley head coach Jason Adkins said. “We watched them yesterday and saw film from earlier this year. I knew it was going to be a very physical game and that they played very direct and defensively would sit in a little bit and that’s what they did.

“But we controlled the second half and deserved to get the winner there.”

The Bulldogs were looking to become the second Valley girls team to advance to the state semifinals, doing so in 2018 when they upset Austin Westlake 1-0.

“Playing OT yesterday and the way we play with a lot of running, I hate to admit it but the girls just gassed out. They didn’t have enough in the tank for that one chance. I thought it was coming. Allie played awesome, the best game I’ve seen her play with a save here and a save there and the crosses going in and the defense and midfield was outstanding.

“I really believe in these girls and they have done so much. So many of them just needed the chance and I’m proud of them and all they accomplished.”

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BROWNSVILLE – While Smithson Valley put an end to a memorable McAllen Memorial season on Friday, it also opened the door into the next chapter for a young team that could be back, for even more.

Sabrina Taber scored twice and the undefeated Rangers cruised to a 6-0 win over the Mustangs in the second UIL Region IV-5A girls soccer semifinal Friday at Brownsville Sports Park. Smithson Valley will play at 10 a.m. today for the Region IV-5A championship against McAllen High, 2-1 OT winners over Leander on Friday, also at the Brownsville Sports Park.

The score is not indicative of what level Memorial played but moreso that of Smithson Valley, a team that has run roughshod over its competition all season, including an 8-2 drubbing over another perennial power, Boerne-Champion, in the previous round.

“We had a great season and we stacked up well against teams to make this playoff run,” McAllen Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser said. “It has been tough for every team that has played (Smithson Valley) this year and we were no different than any of those teams.

“They are a complete team and we don’t see that very often. We see some dynamic players on the teams you’re up against but they have no weaknesses and that’s tough to play against. I think we did good in the first half but they’re a good team and they just kept grinding away.”

The Memorial roster is loaded with 16 players who are juniors or younger. That includes five freshmen and juniors, and six sophomores. This was the first regional semifinal trip for Memorial, the second-place team out of District 31-5A, since 2015.

The Mustangs finished the regular season as one of the highest scoring teams in the Rio Grande Valley at any classification, while also putting together maybe the stingiest defense also in the Valley.

Memorial trailed 2-0 at the half.

“It’s great to be back. This was a program builder and the girls want to work hard when you’re able to make it this far because they want to get back. You can dangle that bait out there for the younger kids too – next ear, what are we going to do, how are we going to get there?

“We learned a lesson, now we apply it and then find ourselves in a better situation. It’s a tough lesson but those are the ones you get the most out of.”

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BROWNSVILLE – The soccer world stopped for what seemed like forever as the ball rolled toward the goal.

There was no goalkeeper or defender nearby – they were watching from ground level, literally – and the nearest striker, McAllen High’s Milan Diaz, wasn’t close enough for one more touch.

She didn’t have to be. Diaz punched the ball past Leander’s last defender and a charging goalkeeper from about 30 yards out. She continued to follow the ball but was caught up in a melee where both the keeper and the defender collided and/or fell to the ground just outside the penalty box.

The ball continued on its path and, with 2:07 remaining in the first overtime period, found its way into the back of the net, giving McHi a thrilling 2-1 victory in the UIL Region IV-5A semifinal matchup on a soggy, overcast and cool Good Friday morning at the Brownsville Sports Park.

The win sends the Bulldogs to the Region IV-5A championship at 10 a.m. Saturday against unbeaten powerhouse Smithson Valley, which defeated McAllen Memorial 6-0 in the other regional semifinal.

The goal, Diaz’s second of the game, sent the large contingent of McHi fans into a frenzy until officials temporarily waved off the score to discuss whether the Diaz had fouled the defender before the goal, causing her to fall.

After about a four-minute discussion, officials called the goal good and the celebration continued.

McHi, which won the District 31-5A championship for the eighth straight year, returns to a regional final for the second time, also accomplishing the feat in 2018 and advancing to the state semifinals. They are the only girls soccer program in the Valley to advance that far.

“It felt like eternity in my mind,” Diaz said about the game-inning goal. “I saw the ball running and I was like I’ve got to run after it just in case. Then the girl cut in front of me but I had to keep running. I had all the space and I had to keep going. Then the goalie came out I thought this could be it.”

Diaz saw the keeper widen her stance, giving her the perfect opportunity for a meg, when a player pokes the ball between another player’s legs.

“I poked it through and saw it going straight to the goal and that’s when everything happened,” Diaz said. “When I was running, my toe hit her heel and she tripped. But this is a huge win. I hope we can continue this.”

Unlike during district play and the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Bulldogs weren’t able to exert their will and ball control style of play. The Lions were extremely fast, often cutting in front of McHi players and they were the ones with control of the ball more often than the Bulldogs.

The McHi defense, however, other than for one goal with 2:42 remaining in the first half, was maybe bendable but certainly not breakable, not even close. Maybe it was from playing an extremely physical and relentless district schedule, but the Bulldogs transformed from finesse and control to physical and relentless. The Bulldogs pushed back, sacrificed their limbs with numerous slide tackles and steals, and refused to be bullied, instead showing they could hold their own with finesse or force.

Either way, the outcome was familiar – a 22nd straight win.

“That was just passion and commitment,” McHi head coach Patrick Arney said. “We knew we weren’t going to get a lot of chances but we played tough and took the chances we had. The girls played tougher throughout the game. It was nice to see them play a different style. Leander is an excellent team and they are quick and young. We did what we had to do.”

Diaz’s first goal came following a header from Julianna Millin from a cross by Savannah Ruiz. The ball bounced precisely in between two Leander defenders and about three steps in front of Diaz who quickly stabbed the ball into the top right corner of the net before six defenders in the box could react with 38:16 remaining.

The final minutes pitted a frantic Leander offense desperately looking to score against a McHi defense, led by Haley Nixon, Maisen Dubrule, Emma Lopez and Karla Paredes. The defense continued to harass the Lions’ offense and looked at home, time and again sending the ball to midfield and beyond en route to the victory.

“We just needed to regroup, communicate and do what we’ve done all year to get here,” Dubrule said. “We deserve to be here. We don’t want it to end.”

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McALLEN — When Kennedy Kaiser finally stepped onto the pitch for McAllen Memorial this season, she clearly wasn’t the only one excited.

The freshman stalwart’s longtime teammate, close friend (and another offensive juggernaut) Chloey Mejia, was thrilled.

Her father, McAllen Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser, proudly beamed at finally having the opportunity to coach his oldest child.

Sofia Alaniz-Choy, who stepped up to fill in for Kaiser (even before she arrived) moved to where she could do more damage with her strong leg and mind offensively, defensively and wherever else needed (even in goal a few times.)

The Memorial young guns — there are 12 freshmen and sophomores on a roster of 20 — knew that now was their time and a bright future was waiting.

They were aware of what it meant to their team — and it showed as the Mustangs prepare to play undefeated Smithson Valley at 1 p.m. Friday at the Brownsville Sports Park in the second Region 4-5A semifinal, also known as the Sweet 16. Their game will follow the first girls semifinal between city and district rival McAllen High and Leander Rouse.

The winners of those two games will face each other Saturday at the same sports park with a trip to the Class 5A girls state tournament the following weekend for the winner, the Region IV-5A champion.

It’s Memorial’s first regional semifinal trip since 2015 and third trip in program history, also reaching this round in 2014.

McAllen Memorial is in the early stages of a talented youth movement that the Valley’s soccer aficionados have been talking about in recent years. Mejia and Kaiser have had the “star” attribute attached to their names well before reaching high school. Last year, Mejia — then a freshman — was named The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Newcomer of the Year and shared the District 31-5A newcomer award with McHi’s Julianna Millin.

Kaiser began the year as a question mark for the Mustangs, recovering from a left leg injury that her parents refused to put a return date on. Many people thought she may be out her entire freshman year. Instead, she missed five district games and still finished the regular season with 30 goals (eighth in the Valley, fourth in District 31-5A) and 13 assists in 13 district games.

“Mom and dad first, coach second,” said the head coach, in his 16th year at the helm. “Our thought was if she comes back, great, but only if she is cleared. We’re not gonna say it’s going to be this date, and when we went to the doctor we were anticipating ‘not yet.’ But she was very dedicated and anxious to be a Mustang and didn’t miss a day in rehab. She did extra at times.”

Without being able to play in the preseason and with a non-stop rough District 31-5A schedule, Kaiser said she was taken off-guard a little by the style of play she suddenly was thrust into the middle of. She did what she could from the bench, working to keep team morale high — but, of course, she wanted to be on the field to help, not from the sideline.

“That first game we came out great, but it took a few games for me to say, ‘OK, this is how it’s going to be,’ so I struggled a bit,” Kaiser said. “But after a couple games we got into the groove of things and started connecting.

“I had never played at a level where it was this aggressive and it was a shock to me. A bit scary at first.”

A grueling 18-game district season in which there were six or seven playoff-caliber teams created a long grind for teams to fight for a playoff position.

Mejia knocked in 23 goals (sixth in District 31-5A) and dished out 10 assists in 17 district games, and the two seemed to connect through telepathic communication, taking turns at having big games. There were also 20 combined goals from senior Alaniz-Choy and freshman Rihanna Rodriguez, and the district’s stingiest defense in goals allowed, led by Sofia Davila and Ella Salazar and a trio of keepers.

“Their chemistry is undeniable, and that goes with them playing outside of Memorial as well,” Coach Kaiser said. “When you’re on the same page with someone that has the ability to put the ball where you want it to be, well, that’s fun and it’s nice to watch. That’s the relationship they have — they know what the other wants and that’s a process.

“They are anxious to help the other shine, and that’s not only unselfish but it’s a team-first attitude.”

Mejia and Kaiser played against each other before being a part of the same club and high school teams, squaring off in the McAllen Youth Soccer Association. That’s when the “future stars” tags began following them.

“We are all working on becoming better players and working hard as a group,” Mejia said. “But Kennedy coming was just a blessing for us. I think she’s going to be the greatest player the Valley will ever see. She is just a beast on the field. Her coming in helped our team because she can just put the ball in the back of the net against anyone.

“We’re growing (as a team), and the way we believe and our work ethic is why we’re here.”

Coach Kaiser said the two previous trips to the Sweet 16, losses to San Antonio Reagan and O’Connor, were eye-opening experiences and helped the program map out a blueprint that has led to this weekend.

“We were 5A back then, when there was no 6A,” coach said. “It changed our direction as far as what we knew to expect and how we were going to make it out of the Valley in the future. We had to compete with bigger, faster and stronger girls — and technical girls, too.

“We’ve been working but it has taken a while, but we’ve been preparing for the upstate teams so it’s great to be back. It’s something you’re always working toward, these special times, and this has been a special year.”

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Two weeks before the regular season concluded, the RGV Vipers were looking up at a long list of things that needed to happen before they could accomplish what then seemed improbable, if not impossible – make the playoffs.

They checked those requirements off one at a time, winning just enough times, getting hot at the right moment and getting some help as teams above them dropped in what was a traffic jam for the final playoff spot.

Now, the Vipers are two wins away from a fifth NBA G League Championship after defeating Sioux Falls on the road Sunday to capture the G League Western Conference Championship.

“I want one for the thumb,” Vipers CEO Rene Borrego said during a new conference to introduce first-year head coach Kevin Burleson. The “one for the thumb” reference dates back to the rallying cry of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1981 as the four-time Super Bowl championship squad made a push for a fifth ring, which they accomplished at Super Bowl XL then won a sixth ring in Super Bowl XLIII.

The Vipers will play the Delaware Blue Coats in the best-of-three G League Championship series. Game 1 will be held at 8 p.m. at Delaware. The Vipers return home for Game 2, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and, if necessary, Game 3 will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Delaware.

Jarrett Culver, acquired in a trade with the College Park Skyhawks on Jan. 26, 2023, scored 26 points and pulled down a career- and game-high 15 rebounds to lead RGV past Sioux Falls 110-105. The Texas Tech product helped the Vipers outscore the Syforce 38-38 in the fourth quarter top overcome a five-point deficit in the period.

“He has been unreal for us. He’s a great person and player,” Vipers General Manager Travis Stockbridge said of Culver. “He has done stuff for us and kept us in games offensively, and in so many different roles. I told him that a lot of guys in his shoes would not embrace this opportunity the way he has.

“We knew he was a talented player but his ability to handle different roles is what has been super impressive.”

TyTy Washington Jr., on assignment from the Houston Rockets, added 26 points and Trevor Hudgins chipped in 18 despite being just 2-for-11 from 3-point land and the Vipers shooting 20% from beyond the arc.

The Vipers have had a streaky year including a losing streak of five straight to start the regular season at 1-5. They are now on a five-game win streak, their third win streak of at least five games this season, including a six-game one when they were 10-12.

“Well, we started the season in a hole but knew how good we could be,” Stockbridge said. “It’s not like this team wasn’t good enough and flipped a magic switch. We knew we would be good enough to make some noise like we are doing now.

“Everything fell into place and coach has done a great job keeping the team locked in. He knew we still had a chance at this thing and he kept the guys present. And our guys made big plays and all those key plays reinforced the belief among the team.”

This will be the seventh G League Championship Series appearance for the Vipers. No other team has more than four. The Vipers’ four titles, which includes a sweep over Delaware last year, are also the most by any G League team with three other teams each holding two championships. All four championships and championship appearances have come since 2010 (seven appearances in 13 title series – there were no playoffs in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

This is the third straight finals appearance for Delaware, losing to RGV last year and falling to the Lakeland Magic in a one-game playoff in 2021.

“Delaware has a great group of guys and I’m sure they’re incredibly hungry,” Stockbridge said. “It’s ok, I’m not upset playing the underdog this go around.”

McALLEN — Milan Diaz turned the ball over as McAllen High was making a run. With incredible tenacity and quickness, the senior forward immediately attacked the defender, slide-tackled and stole back the ball. In one smooth motion, she advanced the ball up the sideline to a streaking Julianna Millin, her original target before the turnover.

Millin took the ball almost to the end line and passed it back to the middle of the penalty box about 7 yards in front of the goal.

The play was all grit and hustle by Diaz, who also did the rest, putting an exclamation point on a play she started with 9:18 remaining that led the Bulldogs to a 2-1 victory in the Region IV-5A quarterfinal at Rowe High School.

The win sends the eight-time defending District 31-5A champions to the Sweet 16 for the third straight time. It also gave them their 20th consecutive victory after falling to Rowe in the district opener.

The play was everything a highlight clip is meant to be, from the turnover to the hustle to take the ball back to the perfect pass and follow through for a goal — the game-winner.

“When I got the ball, I knew that was going to be the game-winning shot that either sent us home or put us in the Sweet 16,” Diaz said. “And I had missed too many before that and knew I could not miss that one.”

McHi will play Leander at 10 a.m. Friday at the Brownsville Sports Park in the first Region IV-5A semifinal. The second game, at 1 p.m., will pit McAllen Memorial against Smithson Valley, which defeated Boerne Champion 8-2.

Memorial defeated Gregory-Portland 3-1 on Friday night in Corpus, setting up the potential for the city rivals and top two teams from District 31-5A to possibly meet in the regional championship. Rihanna Rodriguez, Kennedy Kaiser and Chloey Mejia each scored as the Mustangs advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015.

Millin gave McHi a 1-0 lead with 2:43 remaining in the first half. The sophomore took the ball and two defenders into the box then juked left, losing one of the defenders and giving her space as she put a left-footed shot back across the goal that the keeper got her hands on but couldn’t stop from rolling in.

Rowe tied it on a rebound goal from Mia Mata after Camila Gil boomed a free kick from the 37 that the keeper couldn’t hold on to with 23 seconds remaining in the first half.

Everything stayed the same until Millin and Diaz teamed up for what may be McHi’s play of the year.

“One thing about Milan is that she never gives up on the play,” Millin said. “Knowing it was her on the ball made me a little more prepared for that pass, and I was able to take it to the end line and pass it back to Milan.”

“She was all over the place today,” McHi head coach Patrick Arney said. “It’s that kind of hustle and determination, and that’s what it takes to be quarterfinal champions and to be a great player. She gives it her all every game, and tonight it showed.

The Bulldogs’ defense also consumed arguably the most lethal player in the Valley this season, Ayloni Garcia. McHi suffocated the ball magician with a double team anytime she could even get a sniff of the ball, forcing her on most occasions to try and find someone to distribute the ball to.

“It was a team effort on Ayloni because she doesn’t stay just on one side of the field,” Arney said. “She’s just so dangerous. We played great team defense and we shifted over. Who’s got her, keep her under control and thankfully she didn’t pull any magic out.”

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There are 32 districts in most Texas UIL sports, eight from each of the four regions. Of the eight teams remaining in the girls state soccer tournament for Region IV-5A, three are from District 31-5A or, more precisely, McAllen.

At least one of those three teams will be a part of the Sweet 16 as McAllen Rowe hosts McHi at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner advances to the Regional Tournament against either Canyon or Leander. Meanwhile the Memorial plays Gregory Portland at 6 p.m. Friday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus. The winner will advance to play either Boerne Champion or Smithson Valley. Those two teams and Canyon are from district 26-5A wile Leander is from 25-5A and G-P comes from 29-5A.

The regional tournament will be held at Brownsville Sports Park next weekend.

“I like to think that we have some of the top teams in the state in our district,” Rowe head coach John Martinez said. “I believe in that phrase ‘iron sharpens iron’ and if you want to come out ahead in this district, you have to keep clawing. It was a gauntlet of a district and we were down a few times but we were prepared for the playoffs.”

McAllen High has been the crown jewel of the district. The Bulldogs have made the playoffs for the past 27 years and have finished first or second in their district 26 of those 27 times including eight straight district titles after this regular season. They are on a 19-match winning streak. The program is also home to the only Valley girls team to advance to the state tournament, reaching the Class 6A state semifinals in 2018 after beating Austin Lake Travis 1-0 to win the Region IV-6A title.

While the Bulldogs seemingly lose an all-star cast every year, they continue to win like no other girls team in the Valley. While they aren’t trending downward in talent, other teams are increasing the talent on their team.

“The girls are continually getting better at all three schools,” McAllen High head coach Patrick Arney said. “But its not just happening here but also at schools like Harlingen and Vela and Sharyland and Los Fresnos – they are all right there. But that’s a good thing. Every sport has peaks and valleys. We just need to keep pushing and getting more summer and fall leagues and the girls can keep challenging each other and get better.

“The girls want to be part of a program that’s successful and we like to think we do things right, both on and off the field. All six seniors are academic all state and that’s the fourth year in a row for all the seniors. They know how to manage their time, study and be successful in academics and sports. It makes a difference.”

McAllen Memorial is an example of the increase in young talent with two of the Valley’s top scorers Chloey Mejia and Kennedy Kaiser just a sophomore and freshman, respectively, with more in the pipeline.

“We feel like we are closing the gap on the big metro areas being able to develop those young players and have an increasing number of young kids who are quality soccer players with experience,” Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser said. “It says a lot for us and McAllen especially.

“With every success from our Valley teams, you convince a few more friends and family wondering if its worth their time and travel to stick with year round soccer development. When we do well and people see that, it can lead to something and it is an incentive I think for younger kids to stick with the process – and it’s a long, expensive process that’s not just for everybody.”

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Jalen Lecque drove the length of the floor and scored on a layup with less than a second remaining, and the sixth-seeded RGV Vipers ousted the third-seeded South Bay Lakers from the playoffs with a 124-122 victory Wednesday at the UCLA Health Training Center in Los Angeles.

The Vipers, the defending NBA G League champions, became the last team to make the playoffs, securing a spot after winning the final two regular-season games and Mexico City losing the final two.

The Vipers trailed 122-117 with 1:05 remaining before the surge to the end. With the Western Conference quarterfinal win, the Vipers will play the Memphis Hustle at 11 a.m. Friday at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Like the first round, it will be a one-game playoff.

The Vipers’ TyTy Washington Jr. led all scorers with 30 points to go with eight assists, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Darius Days added 21 points and eight rebounds. Trevor Hudgins contributed 21 points and Jarrett Culver registered a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Lecque started the run with a steal and was fouled. He connected on one of two free throws to cut the lead to 122-118. Washington followed with a pair of free throws and Days scored on a runner to tie the game. South Bay turned the ball over twice and missed a shot during the Vipers’ run to a tie.

After another South Bay turnover with 6.2 seconds remaining in regulation, Lecque took the inbound pass and went the distance, finishing with a finger roll. South Bay attempted an alley-oop unsuccessfully as time ran out.

South Bay finished with 11 turnovers, three of them coming during the final 65 seconds.

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McALLEN — McAllen Rowe has faced the threat of a premature end to its season on multiple occasions this year. Each time, they shrugged off that threat to live another day.

They did it again Tuesday.

The Warriors fell behind four times against Corpus Christi Flour Bluff but scored twice in the game’s final six minutes at Rowe to claim a thrilling 5-4 win to advance to the UIL Class 5A regional quarterfinals.

The Warriors will play city and district rival McAllen High, which beat Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 3-1 on Thursday with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16. The teams will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Rowe High School.

Rowe’s Genesis Valencia scored her third goal of the season with a line drive past keeper Jillian Martinez to tie the game for the fourth time at 4. Before the match started, Rowe head coach John Martinez had asked Valencia if she was feeling OK after stumbling prior to the opening kick.

Her answer was the defining moment of the match, breathing life into a defense that had sputtered throughout the night and invigorating an offense that was starting to feel the pressure of a clock winding down.

“I looked at her at the beginning of the game and she said she was good,” Martinez said. “She’s been here before. What an epic goal. She has kissed that post so many times this year, and she was at the right spot at the right time. We needed that.”

Just less than two minutes later it was Ayloni Garcia performing magic once again for Rowe. The senior star took a pass from Camila Gil and streaked down the middle of the field with two defenders inside her skin.

“She’s on cruise control,” Martinez said. “Right, left, between the legs, step over and shot — beautiful and with her left leg. Just amazing.”

The goal gave Rowe its only lead of the game — the only one it needed — on a night where Flour Bluff won a majority of the free balls and seemed to be regularly one step ahead of the home team.

“This might be the top win of all time,” Martinez responded when asked how big Tuesday’s victory was. “We keep it interesting — down by one with less that seven minutes. That’s the heart of a Warrior right there.”

Gil scored on one of her patented quick turnaround shots from the 25-yard line to tie the game at 3. The junior knew where she was on the field and never glanced at the defense or the keeper before he launched the rocket.

“Every time we would score they would score, and we wanted to play the (McHi) Bulldogs on Friday,” Gil said. “It was the moment where I got the ball, turned and shot. I didn’t look where the goalie was, but I remembered where she would be. It was the moment, and they are always telling me to take the shot because you never know.

Garcia scored her first goal of the night on a breakaway with a long pass from Gil. Garcia streaked into the box, stepped around the keeper and found an open net for a 2-2 tie.

Mia Mata scored the first goal for Rowe, tying the game on a header off a corner kick from Gil.

“Those girls have been doing it for the past 3-4 years,” Martinez said of Garcia, Gil and Mata. “They’ve been on the big stage before. This moment wasn’t too big for them, and it showed.

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Nine touches, 90 yards, 13 seconds.

Goal.

That’s what the McAllen High girls’ soccer team pulled off – a symphony in perfect harmony on the pitch – in a 7-1 victory over Donna North on Friday in the first round of the UIL Class 5A soccer playoffs.

While big-time scorers are receiving most of the glory for finishing, it’s those feeding them the ball who are oftentimes the unsung heroes.

“The most beautiful thing about that play is not even what happens on the ball, but how hard the girls are working off of the ball to be in the positions where their teammates can simply trust they are going to be,” girls assistant soccer coach Michael Smith texted.

The play started near the 10-yard line with Karla Paredes finding Haley Nixon near midfield. Nixon quickly found space with a pass to Camille Diaz who continued to play the ball through the middle to Emma Lopez. Lopez moved the ball forward to Savannah Ruiz, who one-touched it back to Nixon, sending a header to Julianna Millin, where two defenders began to approach. She one-touched it to a streaking Gabby Gonzalez, who sped past one defender and sent the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Check out the passing en route to Gabby’s goal here

In McAllen Rowe’s grueling 2-1 overtime victory against Harlingen South, it was Camila Gil with a beautiful long, leading pinpoint pass to fleet-footed Ayloni Garcia that led to the game-winner. Get the ball to the feet of a scoring monger and good things happen.

“That was an ongoing thing all game, get the ball to Ayloni in space,” Gil said. “I knew where she was going and I got that pass through.”

Trusting teammates to be in a certain place at a specific time is crucial to the flow and transition from defense to offense. During a playoff game last year against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, McHi’s Ruiz sent what could be best described as a no-look on-the-money pass to Millin for a goal. Ruiz, the Bulldogs’ all-time single-season leader in assists, said afterwards that she “felt” where her teammate was going.

Freshman Kennedy Kaiser and sophomore Chloey Mejia provide a punishing 1-2 offensive punch for McAllen Memorial. The two combined for 53 goals and 23 assists during district play and missed a combined six matches. Kaiser may have recorded the most impressive goal of the season on a crossing pass from Sofia Alaniz-Choy. Called a “scorpion” kick, Kaiser raised her leg high behind her head while facing the goal and scored in the upper right corner.

Check out Kennedy’s amazing scorpion goal!

Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser said having his daughter return to the field made a difference for the entire team.

“It was definitely a lighter mood. We had just run through the gauntlet of McHi, Vela, Sharyland and Pioneer and the girls had question marks,” the head coach said. “Those were very close games but then at full strength the girls picked it up and knew they would be hard to stop. It allowed the girls to take a break and believe in themselves more.”

“We have said that from beginning. even We don’t want it to be a one-player show. We want to play good soccer and whoever is in the right place at the right time they will finish it off.

With Kaiser’s return came an offense that flowed more smoothly each game.

“We don’t want a team to take our best scorer away and the game breaks down,” Kaiser said. “We want to make sure we are spreading the wealth. It’s not just the player but a combination of the player and the game plan.”

The Memorial head coach added that his team’s defense plays a huge role in getting the ball into the right spaces and to the right people.

“Mentioning the girls who play a big part behind the scorers, our defense was the best in our district, with the fewest goals allowed,” he said. “Sofia Davila and Ella Salazar are two playmakers in that defense.”

Players such as Rowe’s Gil, McHi’s Ruiz, and Memorial’s Kaiser and Mejia are double trouble for teams. Once someone from the defense or midfield puts the ball on one of their feet, not only can they find the back of the net, they also draw more attention and can razzle-dazzle with that extra pass for the same result.

“It’s all about teamwork. You have to have everyone working together in concert together for something like that to work,” McAllen High head coach Patrick Arney said. “It’s important to be on the same page.

“It’s so fun to see the orchestrated movements. We don’t write up plays but they have to find that flow and they do a ton of simple things and make it look easy. It’s difficult to make that many passes and have a purpose; we’re not passing just to keep possession, but passing with a purpose to get that goal.”

Those three teams – McAllen High, Memorial and Rowe – will look to advance to the third round of the playoffs after area round matchups tonight. If they win, combined with Vela’s win Monday night, all four teams from District 31-5A will play each other in the third round, meaning two will advance to the Sweet 16.

Rowe plays at home at 6:30 against Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, while McHi and Memorial play at Cabaniss Field in Corpus at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial and Victoria West, respectively. See the full soccer playoff schedule at rgvsports.com

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