GIRLS REGION IV-5A SEMIFINAL

SHARYLAND HIGH VS. VISTA RIDGE

WHERE: Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi

WHEN: Today, noon

RECORDS: Sharyland High (21-2, 12-0); Vista Ridge (12-7-4, 9-2-3)

GAME NOTES: Sharyland High has been tested in every playoff game, beating Edcouch-Elsa 3-2, Flour Bluff 5-4 in double overtime, and Gregory-Portland 3-2. … Senior Isabella Marinaro is the Lady Rattlers’ leading scorer with 34 goals, but sophomore and reigning All-Valley Newcomer of the Year Kaitie Watson is perhaps Sharyland’s most important offensive player, with 30 goals and 19 assists. … Senior Nallely Garza has been a key piece of the defense after moving back from midfield to sweeper this season. … The Lady Rattlers also advanced to the regional semifinals in 2015, losing 2-0 to Cedar Park. … Senior Brooke Shank leads the Rangers with 23 goals and 10 assists. … Vista Ridge is yet to allow a goal in the playoffs, beating LBJ Austin 9-0, Alamo Heights 3-0 and Cedar Park 1-0.

GIRLS REGION IV-5A SEMIFINAL

SHARYLAND PIONEER VS. VANDEGRIFT

WHERE: Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi

WHEN: Today, 2 p.m.

RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer (10-2); Vandegrift (16-5-4, 11-0-3)

GAME NOTES: A rematch of last season’s Region IV-5A semifinal, which Vandegrift won 1-0. The Vipers would go on to advance to the state final, losing 1-0 to Wylie East. … Vandegrift graduated only six seniors from that squad and has been rolling through the 2016 playoffs, beating McCallum, San Marcos and Georgetown by a combined 8-0. … According to Maxpreps, Vandegrift has not allowed a goal since Feb. 5. … Pioneer has also prided itself on stout defense, giving up just two goals so far this season. The biggest keys have been a possession-based style, senior goalkeeper Stephanie Barrientos and defenders Taylor Marquez, Kate Padilla, Pricilla Alanis and Brittany Landavazo. … Sophomore leading scorer Andrea Reyes is one of nine returning starters from last season. Pioneer has also added depth with a strong core of newcomers, highlighted by freshman wing Olivia Vasquez.

BOYS REGION IV-4A SEMIFINAL

HIDALGO VS. GIDDINGS

WHERE: Veterans Memorial Stadium, McAllen

WHEN: Today, 10 a.m.

RECORDS: Hidalgo (18-2-6, 8-0); Giddings (21-4-1, 9-1)

GAME NOTES: Hidalgo is in the regional semifinals for the second consecutive year, hoping to return to the heights the program reached in 2009, when it claimed the Class 4A state title. … The Pirates graduated 15 seniors from last year’s team but still boast six senior starters. … Filiberto Sustaita, Jesus Nino and Marco Garcia have been the key players on a team that prides itself on its attack. … Hidalgo was nothing short of dominant in District 31-4A, going 8-0 and outscoring its opponents 41-2. … Giddings 2016 playoff run is the program’s best in at least five seasons. … The Buffaloes are led by senior Chris Orocio, who has scored 61 goals, the most in the nation among schools who report to Maxpreps.

BOYS REGION IV-4A SEMIFINAL

PROGRESO VS. GONZALES

WHERE: Veterans Memorial Stadium, McAllen

WHEN: Today, noon

RECORDS: Progreso (19-5-2, 7-2); Gonzales (19-3, 9-1)

GAME NOTES: Progreso has been extremely impressive through three playoff games, outscoring Zapata, Rockport-Fulton and La Vernia by a combined 14-0. … The Red Ants benefited from balanced scoring this year, enjoying a wealth of talent and depth. … Progreso picked up a 2-0 win against Gonzales in a preseason tournament. … Progreso earned at least a share of the district title for the third year in a row, setting the school record for wins in a season each of the past two years. … Gonzales picked up a 6-0 win in the bi-district round but just narrowly escaped Boerne and Bandera 2-1 in the area and regional quarterfinal rounds. … Gonzales is led by sophomore Jose Escoto, who has 57 goals to rank third nationally among schools that reported stats to Maxpreps.

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Sharyland High coach Rev Hernandez has been scouting Brownsville Porter all the way back to the regular season. In his mind, a clash between the District 31-5A champion Rattlers and 32-5A champion Cowboys was inevitable.

As the UIL bracket shook out, the matchup between two of the Valley’s premier teams happened Tuesday, in the regional quarterfinals.

“I knew they were going to give us a good fight, and they knew that, also,” Hernandez said. “I can truly tell you, the state champion is probably going to come out of this game.”

If Hernandez’s prediction holds true, it will be Porter, not Sharyland, hoisting the state title trophy in two weeks.

In a physical game during which the two sides traded chances almost evenly, the Cowboys were the ones to finally find a breakthrough in the final 10 minutes and pick up a 2-0 win on Tuesday at Tom Landry Stadium.

“They were probably our biggest challenge of the year so far, easily,” Rattlers defender Romeo De Leon said. “This is a team that was very much like us. We played similar. They played well as a team. We didn’t take advantage of the chances we got, and they did.”

Porter established itself as the Valley’s clear-cut No. 1 team in the RGVSports.com top 10 during the regular season, outscoring opponents 66-4 during a 14-0 run through District 32-5A. Still undefeated at 24-0-1, Porter is ranked No. 5 nationally by Topdrawersoccer.com.

To try to neutralize Porter’s quick-touch style of offense, Sharyland put its size to work, physically clashing with a Porter player every time the Cowboys tried to control the ball.

“Everyone knows Porter. Porter touches the ball,” Cowboys forward Ricky Vidal said. “So they wanted to try to try a different game style. … We keep on playing our own game, because that’s what we do best, touch the ball.“

Although the high-pressure approach limited Porter for much of the game, the Cowboys eventually netted a goal with 9:32 to play.

Enrique Soto put a shot off the far post after taking the ball into the box and cutting back inside, around a Sharyland defender. Sharyland High keeper Jacob Beber made a diving save on a rebound attempt before Vidal converted Porter’s third try from about 10 yards out.

“They didn’t allow us to do our game, so we had to sacrifice one forward practically and bring down one more midfielder in order to be able to control the tempo of the game,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “We don’t have the size that they have, so we wanted to make sure we control the tempo of the game and had the ball at our feet.”

Porter’s Marco Don Juan, who scored the team’s second goal as the final seconds ticked off the clock, called Friday’s game the toughest Porter has played this season.

Yellow cards and possible chances were traded in abundance by both sides as physical tackling became the norm. The Rattlers’ Edson Silva generated a few prime opportunities on the attack, even getting behind the Sharyland defense on a through ball but sending a shot wide right with about 24 minutes to play. Martin Gonzalez also just narrowly missed a potential opening, sending a header off the crossbar of the football uprights in the closing moments of the first half.

“We saw this as a state championship game ahead of time,” Espitia said. “Sharyland has the team to do it, and we know that we have the team to do it. We knew whoever came out of this one was going to do it with heart.”

[email protected]

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

Sharyland High scored twice against the wind and held on in the second half to pick up a 3-2 win against Gregory-Portland in a Class 5A regional quarterfinal on Tuesday at Sharyland Pioneer High School in Mission.

Vanessa Guevara scored first from about 20 yards out, Alyssa Ochoa got by the goalie to make it 2-0, and Isabella Marinaro provided crucial insurance with her second headed goal in as many games off a corner kick by Kaitie Watson.

“We seemed to find a way just to keep that 1-point lead,” Sharyland High coach Aaron Clemons said. “They have three girls who signed into college, so we knew they had some talent, and we just rose to the occasion. I’m proud of the girls.”

The Lady Rattlers went into halftime up 2-1 and had a 3-1 advantage before the Lady Wildcats tightened things up with a goal with about 8 minutes to play.

Clemons said Gregory-Portland only managed one real threat the rest of the way.

“Other than that, we held on and we played good, solid defense,” Clemons said. “After that last goal, protected the lead. Didn’t try to push anything, just played solid D to secure the victory.”

Sharyland High will play Vista Ridge in the regional semifinals at noon Friday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 1, CORPUS CHRISTI VETERANS MEMORIAL 0, PKs: At Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, Pioneer goalkeeper Stephanie Barrientos saved all three penalty kicks in overtime and made a critical save on another in the closing minutes of regulation, setting up a win against Corpus Christi Veterans.

“We’ve known she was a solid goalkeeper,” Pioneer coach J.J. Lopez said. “Sometimes, during the district season, she doesn’t get tested a lot. She has done well in the past with PKs, but stopping three out of three is really unheard of.”

Kate Padilla, Nikki Cuellar and Julie Alanis all scored in penalties for Pioneer, setting up a matchup against Vandegrift in the regional semifinals at 2 p.m. Friday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.

“Once Julie Alanis made that third PK for us, the girls just exploded onto the field,” Lopez said. “That was one of the greatest feelings that I’ve felt as a head coach.”

BOYS

CLASS 4A

PROGRESO 5, LA VERNIA 0: At Progreso, the Red Ants scored three goals in 10 minutes during the second half to build a 5-goal cushion and put away the Bears.

“We just kept at it the whole night long,” Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez said. “What was worked is our persistence to take shots from as many angles as possible. If we have an opening, we take the shot, and it produced dividends for us.”

Francisco Pineda scored twice for Progreso, with Rogelio Zamora, Cristian Chavez and Hugo Guajardo each adding one.

Progreso will play Gonzales on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

HIDLAGO 1, PORT ISABEL 0, PKs: At McAllen, Port Isabel blinked first in a seven-round penalty shootout with Hidalgo, missing high on their final attempt to give the Pirates the dramatic win.

“It was a lot of joy and jubilation,” Hidalgo coach Zeke Morales said. “It doesn’t get much better than that. For the kids, for the coaches, and for the fans in the stands. It was just amazing. It was a wonderful experience.”

Both sides were held scoreless through regulation and overtime, as Port Isabel’s physical style of play disrupted Hidalgo’s offensive approach.

“They were very physical. Much more physical than we were with it,” Morales said. “They got us out of our game plan and we started playing their style of play, the long ball, and that’s not how we play.”

Hidalgo will play Giddings in the regional semifinals on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Class 6A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Laredo United South 2, Brownsville Hanna 1

Brownsville Lopez 2, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 1

Class 5A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Brownsville Pace 2, Valley View 0

Brownsville Porter 1, Sharyland High 0

Class 4A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Progreso 5, La Vernia 0

Hidalgo 1, Port Isabel 0, PKs

Class 6A Regional Semifinals

Friday, April 8

Brownsville Lopez vs. Schertz Clemens at Brownsville Sports Park, 2 p.m.

Class 5A Regional Semifinals

Friday, April 8

Brownsville Porter vs. Alamo Heights at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, 4:30 p.m.

Brownsville Pace vs. Vandegrift at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, 6:30 p.m.

Class 4A Regional Semifinals

Friday, April 8

Hidalgo vs. Giddings at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, 10 a.m.

Progreso vs. Gonzales at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, noon

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Class 6A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Los Fresnos 1, Harlingen South 0

Class 5A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Sharyland High 3, Gregory-Portland 2

Sharyland Pioneer 1, Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 0, PKs

Class 4A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Rockport-Fulton 6, Port Isabel 0

Class 6A Regional Semifinals

Friday, April 8

Los Fresnos vs. San Antonio O’Connor at Brownsville Sports Park, noon

Class 5A Regional Semifinals

Friday, April 8

Sharyland High vs. Vista Ridge at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, noon

Sharyland Pioneer vs. Vandegrift at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, 2 p.m.

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

When Pricilla Alanis transferred back into the Sharyland school system as a junior after spending a year at IDEA Mission, she didn’t plan on joining the Pioneer girls soccer team.

She remembered playing in coach J.J. Lopez’s system as a freshman and being intimidated by his strict, demanding style.

“My freshman year, I was really scared of my coach, and I felt like it was going to be the same,” Alanis said. “I ran into him in the hallway, and he said, ‘Are you going to join soccer?’ I said no, and he was like, ‘What, you have to change your schedule? You have to get soccer.’ So I was like, ‘OK, I’ll try it.’”

The transition back into a successful public school team at Pioneer wasn’t always easy or smooth, but in time Alanis developed into a critical piece of a dominant Lady Diamondbacks defense.

Heading into a matchup with Corpus Christi Veterans at 8 p.m. tonight at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, Pioneer has lost just one game in regulation. The Lady Diamondbacks found a late goal to overcome Victoria East 1-0 Friday in the area round — the types of pressure situations Alanis never encountered at IDEA Mission.

“At IDEA, they played, but they played just because they liked playing,” Alanis said. “Playing with a public school, like for Sharyland, it’s a lot more competitive, and you see a lot more teams. Coaches are a lot more strict. They care a lot more. They want to go all the way to state.”

That pressure made Alanis hesitant to join the first-year program last year, but Lopez was looking for any players he could find to help get the team off the ground.

Alanis was also coaxed into joining by her cousin, Julie, one of three seniors on Pioneer’s roster who entered 2016 with multiple years of varsity experience.

“I would always encourage her, because I knew how the atmosphere was, and I knew she would fit right in,” Julie said. “I knew she always liked to play, so I told her just to give it a try and see if she liked it. And I’m glad she liked it.”

Julie said she gave Pricilla tips on how to mesh with the coaching staff and fit in Pioneer’s formations, and Pricilla said the rest of the team helped her catch up any time she would fall behind. Looking back, Pricilla said the first few days weren’t as bad as she expected.

After watching Pricilla spend about half the season playing just 10 or 15 minutes per game off the bench — “I don’t think the coach trusted me that much to go in there for that long,” Pricilla said — Julie saw her cousin take a major step forward. Lopez saw the same and decided to reward Pricilla with a larger role.

“When she came to us, we didn’t really know where she was going to fit in, but we realized she had some speed to work with,” Lopez said. “Everything started coming back to her. I told her it’s like riding a bicycle. You never forget the stuff, you just have to get back into it, and she’s done a good job of that.”

Coming back as a regular starter at right defense this season, Pricilla has been one of Pioneer’s best at gathering steals and starting offense from the back end. Pricilla said she understands the game better this year and has improved her speed and ball control.

The Lady Diamondbacks defense has allowed just two goals this season, with senior three-year varsity player Taylor Marquez, Brittany Landavazo and Kate Padilla joining Pricilla in protecting goalkeeper Stephanie Barrientos on the back end.

“I like to build up (Pricilla’s) confidence a lot,” Marquez said. “She’s a very good player. She doesn’t need to doubt herself as often. She’s very confident. She’s wanting the ball more, and she shuts down a lot of the players on other teams.”

Much of Pioneer’s defensive success is a credit to the team’s possession-based style. With nine starters back from last season, the Lady Diamondbacks are showing the benefits of experience, improved conditioning and better bench players.

Last year, Pioneer advanced to the regional semifinals before losing to Vandegrift.

“I think this is the team that can break through and get us to the state tournament,” Lopez said. “Hopefully the girls understand that, and they have a great opportunity in front of them, and anything is possible as long as they believe and put in the work and time.”

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VALLEY-BOYS SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Class 6A Area

Friday, April 1

Brownsville Hanna 1, McAllen High 0

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 3, Brownsville Rivera 0

Brownsville Lopez 4, La Joya High 1

Laredo United South 5, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 2

Class 5A Area

Friday, April 1

Sharyland High 3, Victoria East 1

Valley View 4, Flour Bluff 0

Brownsville Pace 1, Laredo Cigarroa 0

Brownsville Porter 4, Calallen 3, PKs

Class 4A Area

Friday, April 1

Port Isabel 8, Pleasanton 0

Hidalgo 2, King 1, OT

La Vernia 3, La Feria 1

Saturday, April 2

Progreso 4, Rockport-Fulton 0

Class 6A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Brownsville Hanna vs. Laredo United South at Roma, 6 p.m.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln vs. Brownsville Lopez at La Joya ISD Stadium, 7 p.m.

Class 5A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Brownsville Pace at Valley View, 7 p.m.

Sharyland High vs. Brownsville Porter at Tom Landry Stadium in Mission, 7 p.m.

Class 4A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

La Vernia at Progreso, 5 p.m.

Port Isabel vs. Hidalgo, TBA

VALLEY-GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Class 6A Area

Friday, April 1

Del Rio 1, Edinburg Economedes 0

Los Fresnos 2, Laredo United South 1

Laredo United 2, Brownsville Lopez 0

Harlingen South 1, McAllen High 0

Class 5A Area

Friday, April 1

Corpus Christi Veterans 2, Brownsville Porter 1

Sharyland High 5, Flour Buff 4, OT

Gregory-Portland 3, PSJA Southwest 0

Sharyland Pioneer 1, Victoria East 0

Class 4A Area

Friday, April 1

Port Isabel 4, La Vernia 1

Kingsville King 2, Hidalgo 0

Pleasanton 3, La Feria 0

Saturday, April 2

Rockport-Fulton 7, Grulla 0

Class 6A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Harlingen South at Los Fresnos, 6:30 p.m.

Class 5A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Sharyland High vs. Gregory-Portland at Sharyland Pioneer, 6 p.m.

Sharyland Pioneer vs. Corpus Christi Veterans at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, 8 p.m.

Class 4A Regional Quarterfinals

Tuesday, April 5

Port Isabel vs. Rockport-Fulton at Kingsville’s Mopac Field, 5:30 p.m.

Valley View jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, cruising past Flour Bluff in a Class 5A area round playoff game on Friday at Valley View.

“We dominated the first half,” Valley View assistant coach Jerry Salazar said. “The second half, they played a little bit more aggressive, because they wanted to score. They put more forwards up, and they attacked a little more. We had the ball, I want to say about 70 percent of the game. We controlled the game almost all the time.”

Avi Garcia scored twice, with Jose Rodriguez and Damian Magallan Jr. also tallying for the Tigers. Valley View took a 2-0 lead into halftime, at which point Flour Bluff had yet to register a shot, Salazar said.

Valley View will face Brownsville Pace in the regional quarterfinals.

“Our midfielders did a great job controlling the ball and passing it,” Salazar said. “Our passing game was pretty good today. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but today it was pretty good passing, and the kids were focused all day.”

SHARYLAND HIGH 3, VICTORIA EAST 1: At Buc Stadium in Corpus Christi, Sharyland High found the back of the net three times in the opening half to score a win against Victoria East.

The Rattlers will face Brownsville Porter in the regional quarterfinals.

CLASS 4A

HIDALGO 2, KINGSVILLE KING 1, OT: At San Benito, Hidalgo broke through to net a game-winning goal in overtime after a scoreless second half.

Hidalgo will face Port Isabel in the regional quarterfinals.

GIRLS

CLASS 6A

DEL RIO 1, EDINBURG ECOMOMEDES 0: At Gustafson Stadium in San Antonio, Economedes was shut down by Del Rio in a season-ending loss.

CLASS 5A

SHARYLAND HIGH 5, FLOUR BLUFF 4, OT: At Shirley Field in Laredo, Sharyland High allowed two goals in the final 5 minutes to force overtime, but then came through in the extra period to pull out the win.

Isabella Marinaro scored four times in regulation for the Lady Rattlers before Kaitie Watson netted the game winner during the second 10-minute overtime period.

“It was a through ball, and she got a run, and she beat the defense, and she had a one on one with the goalie,” Sharyland High coach Aaron Clemons said. “The goalie came out, and as soon as that goalie made a move she took a shot at the ball and put it right through, right in the goal, nice and easy.”

Both teams tried to make the most of the wind whenever it was at their backs, Clemons said.

After Flour Bluff rallied to tie the game, Clemons said he had to talk to the Lady Rattlers about staying focused and keeping their heads up.

“The girls, they fought through,” Clemons said. “They kept on fighting, and I knew that our conditioning was going to kick in. During the second half, sure enough, the girls conditioning kicked in, and we were able to do what we had to do to come away with that win.”

GREGORY-PORTLAND 3, PSJA SOUTHWEST 0: At Alice, Gregory-Portland ended PSJA Southwest’s season.

SHARYLAND PIONEER 1, VICTORIA EAST 0: At Buc Stadium in Corpus Christi, Nikki Cuellar scored a header in the final 10 minutes off a corner kick by Hannah Padilla to lift Pioneer past Victoria East.

Pioneer will face Corpus Christi Veterans in the regional quarterfinals at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.

“We put a lot of pressure, especially in the second half when we had a strong wind behind our back,” Pioneer coach J.J. Lopez said. “We knew it was just a matter of time before we put one in. We had some real good missed opportunities, but towards the end we knew all it was going to take was one. And we got it in.”

Lopez said Pioneer was able to keep Victoria East off the board by using its speed and pressure to close gaps against a group of dangerous forwards.

“The game plan was to keep it away from them, and we did that for the most part,” Lopez said.

CLASS 4A

KINGSVILLE KING 2, HIDLAGO 0: At San Benito, Kingsville King shut out Hidalgo to end the Lady Pirates season.

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — With 11:38 to play in Friday’s Class 6A area round game, McAllen High’s Brandon Rangel stepped up to a penalty kick with a chance to tie Brownsville Hanna.

Rangel struck the shot cleanly, driving the ball low and toward the left post. But Hanna keeper Eduardo Cazares had it tracked the whole way, diving to his right to make a save and preserve Hanna’s 1-0 win at Weslaco East.

Hanna will face either Brownsville Veterans or Laredo United South in the regional quarterfinals.

“Some shooters have a really tricky shot, but I knew where he was going,” Cazares said. “I just felt confident. I felt really aware. I felt really confident.”

Cazares couldn’t explain how he knew where Rangel would fire his shot, calling it “just a feeling.”

Rangel, McHi’s leading scorer on the year with 27 goals, said he was happy with what he made of the opportunity.

“That’s how I wanted it,” Rangel said. “But it was a good save by the keeper. The keeper didn’t fall for the bait, and he stopped it.”

The critical save made a first-half goal by Alberto Huerta stand as the game’s lone tally.

After Oscar Cordova attacked the net near the goal line, his centering pass slowly rolled to Huerta in prime scoring position at the center of the box. His first attempt was deflected back to him, but he scored on the rebound to give the Golden Eagles a lead with 17:35 to play in the first half.

“It was our defensive mistake,” McHi coach Fernando Segovia said. “That was it. They took care of it.”

“I think our biggest challenge was ourselves,” Segovia added. “We beat ourselves today. I feel that we panicked too much. We weren’t crisp with our passes. That’s it.”

Both teams struggled to put consistent offense together through a driving wind. McHi’s best chances to score came with the wind at its back in the second period. With about 23:00 to play, the Bulldogs generated a pair of corner kicks that ended with scrambles in the box, and with about 14:00 remaining Rangel put a volley over the net.

“They were clearing everything out,” Rangel said. “They were clearing everything out and not giving us too many opportunities to play our game.”

McHi, which went 12-0 in District 30-6A, was looking to advance past the area round for the first time since 2006.

Hanna is more used to the playoff success, hoping for another deep run after advancing all the way to the state final in 2013.

“Going to the third round is very special to me,” Cazares said. “Last year, we fell short in the third round. This year, we’re not going to do the same. We’re going to go farther, hopefully to the state tournament.”

[email protected]

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — McAllen High’s boys soccer team is having perhaps its best season in coach Fernando Segovia’s 12-year tenure, and a trio of senior midfielders has been at the heart of that success.

The defensive leaning Jose Gil starts the majority of the plays, retrieving the ball on the back end. He typically works the ball to Beto Silva, the Bulldogs’ primary distributor. And Silva never hesitates to send a pass to Brandon Rangel, the attacking midfielder and team’s leader with 27 goals.

“They’re very good players. They listen. They’re coachable. They move. They’re just quick,” Segovia said. “They do those one-touch passes in mid that just melt away defenses.”

Behind the stellar midfield, McHi went 12-0 in District 30-6A and advanced to an area round matchup against Brownsville Hanna at 5:30 tonight at Weslaco East.

A win would mark the Bulldogs’ first trip past the area round of the playoffs since 2006. Last season was McHi’s first appearance in the area round since 2008, and the Bulldogs welcomed back eight starters for 2016. That group includes the three midfielders, who have history going back to middle school and have been playing side-by-side on varsity since their sophomore seasons.

“We’ve gotten a lot closer. A lot, lot, lot closer,” Rangel said. “We have our backs, whether it’s inside the field or outside the field. We’ve grown more connected to each other.”

Gil said the team became a family over the past three years. While the varsity squad doesn’t have the same size as in previous seasons, the Bulldogs make up for it with speed, talent and skill in a more attacking style.

To make that style work, Rangel put greater emphasis on his time with the cross country team during the fall. The diligence has made the team fresher both mentally and physically in late-game situations.

“Running is a really big part of our game, and we put it to good use,” Silva said. “Usually, by the second half, the other team is tired out, and we just take advantage of that.”

Segovia describes Silva as silent but deadly, using his quick feet to score five goals in district. Silva said he was scared to dribble the ball as a freshman, always swift to look to make a pass. Now, he’s become a more well-rounded player.

Gil, McHi’s wall on the back end, jumps out from the bunch with his conditioning.

“He has like five lungs,” Segovia said. “He can run forever. He’s quick. He’s aggressive. Honestly, he’s the heart of the midfield.”

Rangel controls the mid with his vision, quickness, and finishing ability. Segovia said Rangel never faded from the responsibility of taking on a captain role as a senior.

“They’ve given me that position to lead them, and I think it’s easier for me taking that role,” Rangel said. “I’m not forcing it. I’m not asking for it. It’s more of a mutual communication with the team and me. That’s a key part about it, too.”

Before the season, top forward Adrian Rodriguez left the team to play with an academy in Houston. His backup, Miguel Lopez, missed most of the year with a knee injury. Together, the absences forced McHi to put even more emphasis on its midfield core.

The Bulldogs weren’t happy with their slow start in tournament and non-district play but recovered to form the best team any of the players could recall being on. Segovia said the squad is more mature than in previous years, not showing any nerves once the playoffs hit. He also saw the group build trust as the season progressed.

Playing in a District 30-6A that Segovia and other coaches have compared favorably with the usually more potent District 32-6A, McHi went 12-0, winning nine of those games by multiple goals.

“We’re always pretty happy to finish with an undefeated record,” Rangel said. “We have to keep working hard, because it’s only the second round, and our goal is to take it all the way to state.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — When Lizeth Cantu joined the PSJA Southwest girls soccer team as a freshman, she was one of only eight players in the second-year program. That season, the first under coach Juan Rodriguez, the Lady Javelinas went 1-7 in district play, scoring just five goals.

“We were a sucky team my freshman year,” Cantu said. “I remember, like, we didn’t even score. Everyone would score on us.”

In the three years since, however, PSJA Southwest has transformed itself into a District 32-5A champion, and Cantu has become one of the district’s top players.

Southwest will try to make history again this week, looking to advance to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in a matchup with Gregory-Portland at 7 p.m. Friday in Alice.

“Since my freshman year, we’ve grown a lot,” Cantu said. “We’ve progressed a lot mentally, technically, everything. We’re way better.”

This season, PSJA Southwest went 12-2 in district, scoring 44 goals, including a team-best 17 by Cantu, the squad’s lone four-year varsity player.

Her play is a far cry from when she entered the fledgling program as a striker, earning the nickname “Flaca” — “skinny” in Spanish — for her diminutive frame.

“She’s no longer skinny, she’s pretty fit,” Rodriguez said. “Now, she understands the game really well. … She used to hold the ball a lot. Now, no more. She passes most of the time perfectly.”

Because of her mental approach and understanding of the game, Cantu found a home as a midfielder at Southwest.

She said the biggest adjustment was building stamina at the more running-intensive position, and she had to learn to be more composed within games.

“I used to get mad at myself every time I missed the ball,” Cantu said. “Every time I missed the ball, I would be pissed at myself. I couldn’t even play good anymore. My coach will always be there to tell me, ‘You’re the one carrying the team. You have to be there. You have to concentrate on what you’re doing.’ I guess, over time, it just came to me.”

Cantu used to rely on her strong leg, which allows her to score goals from as far out as the midfield. This season, she became more comfortable playing with her left foot. When she was starting out, she would shy away from using her non-dominant side, especially after tearing her left ACL on a slide tackle during an offseason practice following her sophomore year. Wanting to improve in that area, Cantu stayed an extra five minutes after practice each day, using just her left foot to play one-on-one with the goalie.

“I wouldn’t even try to kick with my left (back then),” Cantu said. “This year, I worked a lot with my left, and I can kick now.”

As Cantu raised her game, so have the players around her.

Back in 2013, Rodriguez would take any help he could get, working the halls to try to recruit students to join the team.

He said the majority of his varsity squad had never touched a soccer ball before arriving to high school. Now, three years later, Rodriguez had to cut seniors who had been fixtures on last year’s team but hadn’t done enough during the offseason to keep pace with the rising level of play.

Instead of running just one or two formations, Rodriguez is comfortable switching between four or five different sets.

“The practices are more intense now,” senior captain Lizeth Rodriguez said. “We’ve gotten to know that we can do this as a team. Practices since sophomore year are harder.”

All along, coach Rodriguez had targeted this season, with his first group of fourth-year players, as an opportunity to win the district title. Sophomore Jennifer Gaitan said she didn’t always believe it would be possible, but players convinced each other they had what it took through a group text message during the season.

One of the players edited a photo of the team to show them as district champions, and someone would resend it to the group before every big game.

When PSJA Southwest beat Brownsville Pace in the final match of the regular season to secure the district title by a one-point margin, Cantu and Lizeth Rodriguez said they started to cry. Gaitan said the players sprayed each other and coach Rodriguez with water, so much so that coach Rodriguez fell ill the next day.

The Lady Javelinas still have more they hope to accomplish in the playoffs, but coach Rodriguez said he is pleased with the legacy the 2016 team will leave behind.

“This is our top point,” Rodriguez said. “Something had to come out of this. After four years, they know what to do. They know my preseason. They know my postseason. They know what we expect of them on the field. And, of course, it showed up.”

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