BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Having played left wing for most of her life, Sharyland Pioneer girls soccer freshman Andrea Reyes wasn’t sure how she’d transition to forward.

She called it a “huge change.” After years of being the one who was making the passes, now she was going to be finishing plays.

At the same time, Reyes was jumping from middle school to varsity, and trying to mesh with the rest of a first-year team.

But Reyes quickly found comfort in the support of her older teammates, which allowed her natural talent to shine through. She finished District 31-5A play as the team’s leader with 11 goals and is a big reason why Pioneer has advanced to a Class 5A regional semifinal matchup against Austin Vandegrift at 6:30 tonight in Corpus Christi.

“I’ve always struggled a little bit with the self confidence of shooting,” Reyes said. “When that transition was happening, I wasn’t as confident. Now, I think I’ve been a lot more confident shooting the ball.”

Reyes said she was “very surprised” she’s been able to score as often as she has. She was expecting to run into the usual stereotype: A freshman on varsity gets pushed to the back of the line by the older players. She quickly found that’s not the way things worked at Pioneer. Instead, there was “no drama.”

The four juniors who brought their varsity experience from Sharyland High — Julie Alanis, Taylor Marquez, Hannah Padilla and Maggi Palacios — made Reyes feel welcomed from the start. That group was also quick to mold the team to a winning mentality after having success as Rattlers. With only one senior on the roster, those four took on a leadership role from the start.

“They told me not to be afraid of shooting, or taking any chances,” Reyes said. “They were very supportive of me. They trusted me to do my job, and that helped me a lot.”

For the entire roster, chemistry came almost instantly. Reyes said she was familiar with the other six freshman after playing with them in middle school. That group was linked to the current junior class by Kate Padilla, Hannah’s sister. The two classes had gotten to know each other away from the field long before starting at Pioneer. They made a point of growing closer last summer, realizing how important that connection would be.

“We would hang out after school, not just in soccer, and just connect with them,” said Alanis, who also has a relative on the team in her cousin Pricilla. “We have a lot of team chemistry. We all love each other very much, we love the game, and we just love coming to practice.”

Knowing each other, the next step was for the new players to get to know coach J.J. Lopez, who was coming over from Sharyland High after 17 seasons. From the beginning, Lopez said he established that Pioneer would never use being a first-year school as a crutch. The program started with just 19 girls, but he and his assistants finish the year with a 24-player varsity roster and a pair of junior varsity teams.

Still, he said the team learning his system and expectations remains an ongoing process. Julie saw that some of the younger players were “kind of scared” at first, but she and the other returners told them not to worry.

“I’m not very used to his structure, but the older players, the juniors, they helped me and the other freshmen get used to his teaching and how he runs things,” Reyes said.

With older players guiding the freshmen through every step of the process, Reyes is not surprised by Pioneer’s immediate success. Unlike with her scoring, she was confident in the team’s ability to win from Day 1.

“I did expect us to have this good of a season, actually,” Reyes said. “I feel like people have doubted us a little bit because of our age, but I knew, because I’ve been friends with most of them for a really long time, that everything would just fall into place.”

[email protected]

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — When PSJA North boys soccer player Gustavo Conejo found out he would be switching from forward to midfield during his senior season, his response was simple: ‘Alright, coach.’

Last year, Raiders coach Jacob Hinojosa might not have had such an easy time. PSJA North claimed a District 31-5A title with a 15-1 record, and Hinojosa admits that team was more talented than this year’s.

But the 2015 group has bought in to doing whatever is best for the whole, be it a position switch or a change in role. That unity is what Hinojosa and his players have cited as the biggest reason PSJA North has advanced to today’s Region IV-6A semifinal match against San Antonio Brandeis at Brownsville Sports Park.

“I didn’t think that (we would be as good), but the difference between last year’s team and this year is that this year, we play as a team,” Conejo said. “There are no individual players.”

Jonathan Aguilera, a senior and one of seven returners from last year’s squad, said the 2014 team had “a lot of bad behavior.” This season, those attitudes are gone, replaced instead by “brotherhood.”

“Last year, it was all juniors and sophomores in practice,” Aguilera said. “The seniors, they were not here. I think they just didn’t care”

Hinojosa has also seen an improvement in the team’s attitude. Conejo and Juan Rodriguez tied for the team lead — and the overall lead in District 31-6A — with 11 goals. But there was never any competition between them. On the contrary, Hinojosa said the players weren’t even counting. When they found out after the fact, they would “just applaud him, and say, ‘Go get some more.’”

“This year, the attitude has been getting better,” Hinojosa said. “There are team players, but then there are ones that just want to win, and are very competitive within their own team. They don’t want to be on the bench. This year, there isn’t any of that.”

Conejo had played forward for his first three seasons, but Hinojosa wanted his experience in the middle this year. So Conejo took on a more defensive role, scoring just three goals during the first half of district play.

The goals started to flow as he moved to more of an offensive style of midfield during Round 2, but he still considers long passes his biggest strength. His height, experience and footwork make him a natural in the middle, Hinojosa said.

“We didn’t care about how many goals he scored,” Hinojosa said. “And we asked him, ‘Hey, how do you feel?’ He said, that’s his position.”

For all last year’s talent, the group hit a roadblock in the regional quarterfinals against Brownsville Rivera, falling 6-1. Aguilera said “we were all scared” by Rivera’s talent and missed out on chances to make the game more competitive.

That loss has stuck with North. The seniors are keeping an eye on Rivera, knowing that with a win today, they could potentially force a rematch on Saturday. The possibility has been on Conejo’s mind since the beginning of the season.

“Get revenge versus Rivera,” Conejo said of his team’s preseason goals. “I want my revenge. I want to play Rivera. … The team we’re playing is San Antonio (Brandeis), but we want to beat Rivera.”

Hinojosa said the main goal of the senior class was to pass last year’s limits, something the group has already done. He’s been pushing for the classic “one game at a time” approach, but his players have eyes on the big picture.

After being knocked from the playoffs by Brownsville schools in 2012 and 2013, the seniors have twice earned revenge, beating Lopez 2-1 in bi-district and Hanna 1-0 in the regional quarterfinals. PSJA North is hopeful that’s just the beginning.

“Last year we had a good team, but I think this team is a better team,” Aguilera said. “We’re going to win state.”

[email protected]

BOYS REGION IV-6A SEMIFINAL
PSJA NORTH VS. SAN ANTONIO BRANDEIS
WHERE: Brownsville Sports Park
WHEN: Today, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: PSJA North (9-3); San Antonio Brandeis (17-5-1, 9-3-1)
GAME NOTES: PSJA North returns seven players from a team that finished district play 15-1 and made a run to the third round of the playoffs last season: Gustavo Conejo, Jonathan Aguilera, Margarito Carpio, Juan Vasquez, Marco Salinas, Luis Robles and Jesus Hernandez. … Conejo and Juan Rodriguez tied for the team lead with 11 goals each as the Raiders led the district with 36 goals. … North has picked up three one-goal wins to advance to the regional semis, beating Brownsville Lopez 2-1, McAllen High 1-0 and Brownsville Hanna 1-0.

BOYS REGION IV-5A SEMIFINAL
PSJA SOUTHWEST VS. AUSTIN VANDEGRIFT
WHERE: Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi
WHEN: Today, noon
RECORDS: PSJA Southwest (25-5, 11-3); Austin Vandegrift (17-5-2, 9-4-1)
GAME NOTES: PSJA Southwest is in the fourth round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season. … As a team, the Javelinas rely on touch and speed. Coach Jesus Palomin said the team’s goals are usually the result of a series of crisp passes. … Luis Escudero was Southwest’s leading scorer during the district season, tallying 16 times. … Southwest reached the regional quarterfinals by surviving Donna High in a penalty shootout.

BOYS REGION IV-4A SEMIFINAL
HIDALGO VS. FREDERICKSBURG
WHERE: Richard Thompson Stadium, Mission
WHEN: Today, 4 p.m.
RECORDS: Hidalgo (7-1); Fredericksburg (16-6, 11-1)
GAME NOTES: After a few mediocre seasons following a state championship run in 2009, the Hidalgo Pirates are back in top form. … Hidalgo has an experienced team with 15 seniors, including Hilario Bermudez, Victor Cantu and Julio Gallardo. … Frankie Sanchez, the 2014-15 basketball All-Valley Player of the Year, joined the team midway through the season and has scored in every playoff game. … Hidalgo beat Progreso 3-1 in the regional quarters.

BOYS REGION IV-4A SEMIFINAL
GRULLA VS. LIBERTY HILL
WHERE: Richard Thompson Stadium, Mission
WHEN: Today, 6 p.m.
RECORDS: Grulla (13-2-2, 7-1); Liberty Hill (19-5, 6-0)
GAME NOTES: The Gators are in the playoffs for the first time in the school’s five-year history. … Miguel Flores, also a four-time state champion as a part of the school’s mariachi band, is a captain and team leader. … Jose Carillo has been a key member of the Gators defense in front of goalie Juan Velasquez. … Grulla has seven seniors on its 17-player roster. … The Gators beat Pleasanton 4-1 last week in the regional quarterfinals.

GIRLS REGION IV-6A SEMIFINAL
SAN ANTONIO REAGAN VS. McALLEN MEMORIAL
WHERE: Brownsville Sports Park
WHEN: Today, 3 p.m.
RECORDS: San Antonio Reagan (22-2-2, 8-1-1); McAllen Memorial (24-2, 11-1)
GAME NOTES: McAllen Memorial was RGVSports.com’s No. 1 ranked team for most of the season, scoring a Valley-best 63 goals in district play. … The Mustangs have nine starters back from a team that advanced to the regional semifinals last season. … McAllen Memorial needed extra time to advance through the regional quarters, beating Del Rio 3-2 after Natalie Young scored with 4 minutes to play in the second overtime.

GIRLS REGION IV-5A SEMIFINAL
SHARYLAND PIONEER VS. AUSTIN VANDEGRIFT
WHERE: Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi
WHEN: Today, 6:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Sharyland Pioneer (10-2); Austin Vandegrift (18-3-3; 13-0-1)
GAME NOTES: Despite being in its first year of varsity play, Sharyland Pioneer advanced to the regional semifinals with a 1-0 win against Edinburg Vela in the regional quarters. … Although this marks the team’s first trip to the playoffs, juniors Julie Alanis, Taylor Marquez, Hannah Padilla and Maggi Palacios all have postseason experience at Sharyland High. … Coach J.J. Lopez is also a playoff veteran after coaching at Sharyland High for 17 seasons.

GIRLS REGION IV-5A SEMIFINAL
SHARYLAND HIGH VS. CEDAR PARK
WHERE: Cabaniss Field, Corpus Christi
WHEN: Today, 4:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Sharyland High (12-0); Cedar Park (17-6-3, 11-2-1)
GAME NOTES: Sharyland High has adopted a more physical style under first-year coach Aaron Clemons. Even with a portion of their talent siphoned off by sister school Sharyland Pioneer, the Rattlers haven’t missed a beat, advancing to the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. … Sharyland High finished District 31-5A play undefeated, outscoring opponents 58-3. Vanessa Guevara scored 18 goals to lead the team.

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

For both the Grulla Gators and Hidalgo Pirates boys soccer teams, the key to the 2015 season was a rededication to the game.

Grulla, which had never been to the playoffs in its five-year history, started the turnaround with the beginning of last offseason. Hidalgo, a team with a rich history after claiming a state title in 2009, changed midseason.

After sharing the District 31-4A title, both teams have gone on impressive playoff runs, advancing to Region IV-4A semifinal matchups today at Sharyland High School in Mission. Hidalgo faces Fredericksburg at 4 p.m., and Grulla will square off against Liberty Hill at 6 p.m.

“We worked harder this season than other years,” Grulla captain Miguel Flores said. “It’s always been like, ‘Eh, Grulla soccer. That’s something little.’ Now, they’re actually paying attention to us. That’s what makes us go even farther and get respect.”

Respect used to be hard to come by for the Grulla boys, who had an all-time record of 9-31 entering 2015. But from the moment last season ended, coach Angel Ortiz knew this year’s Gators could be special.

“I told our kids, ‘We’re going to make a run for state next year, but we’re starting now,’” Ortiz said.

The players have taken just a single week off since then, kicking the offseason program up to a higher level. Flores has spearheaded that effort, as a senior leader who “really grabbed these guys together and made them brothers,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz said assistants JD Ibarra and Saul Salinas have been huge to the program’s turnaround, as has the fan support from the community.

More than anything, he credited Flores for showing his teammates that it’s OK to be emotional.

“I have guys who have cried walking off the field because of that passion, because of that effort, because they know that they gave it their best,” Ortiz said. “Miguel is the one who instilled that in them.”

Flores’ leadership was critical in the team’s area-round matchup against Kingsville King. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Ortiz said four of his players were crying, thinking their season would be coming to an end.

“Miguel Flores stepped up and said, ‘We are going to cry, but we’re going to cry of joy,’” Ortiz said.

Grulla came back to beat King 2-1, then topped Pleasanton 4-1 last week to advance.

For Hidalgo, the turning point of the season came in a loss to Grulla during Week 8 of the district season. Coach Zeke Morales said he had to sit out multiple starters for disciplinary reasons, a major factor in a 2-0 defeat that meant Hidalgo would only split the district title rather than win it outright.

“Coming back the next game, the kids said, ‘We’ve worked so hard, we’ve busted our butts. But we’re making silly mistakes, mental mistakes, because we’re not showing up to class on time, or being disrespectful, or putting our phones away in school,’” Morales said. “That’s when it clicked. Since then, we’ve been outstanding on the field, but we’ve been even better off the field.”

Hidalgo’s program has a rich history after winning a state championship in 2009, but the Pirates went just 18-31-1 during the next five district seasons.

Morales said this group turned a corner when the team put the soccer balls away during practice. Instead, for several weeks in the middle of the district season, the routine consisted of the weight room, stadiums and mile runs, even if that left the group tired entering games. A few players questioned the change at first, but soon everyone bought in, unlike previous seasons.

“The kids (in past years) were not as committed as they are mentally,” Morales said. “They weren’t as focused on what we wanted to do. We were talented, but in reality we weren’t giving our best. As soon as that mentality started to change, things started falling into place.”

[email protected]

Regional Semifinal Round

Boys

Class 6A

Friday, April 10

PSJA North vs. San Antonio Brandeis at Brownsville Sports Park in Brownsville, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Friday, April 10

PSJA Southwest vs. Austin Vedegrift at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, Noon

Class 4A

Friday, April 10

Hidalgo vs. Fredericksburg at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission, 4 p.m.

Grulla vs. Liberty Hill at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission, 6 p.m.

Regional Semifinal Round

Girls

Class 6A

Friday, April 10

San Antonio Reagan vs. McAllen Memorial at Brownsville Sports Park in Brownsville, 3 p.m.

Class 5A

Friday, April 10

Sharyland Pioneer vs. Austin Vandegrift at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, 6:30 p.m.

Class 6A

Friday, April 10

Sharyland High vs. Cedar Park at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, 4:30 p.m.

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

After a dramatic exchange of goals in the final five minutes sent McAllen Memorial and Del Rio to overtime, Natalie Young scored with about 4 minutes remaining to lift the Mustangs to a 3-2 win on Tuesday in Laredo.

“It was just a real intense game,” McAllen Memorial coach Matthew Kaiser said. “There were moments where we thought we had it wrapped up and then let them back in the game.”

Memorial took a 2-1 lead when Leslie Santana scored with 4 minutes remaining in regulation after the ball ricocheted off the post. But, less than 2 minutes later, Del Rio answered to force overtime.

There, Connie Avila controlled a throw-in in the box and dropped a pass back to Natalie Young, who scored on a one-touch shot.

Memorial held on to secure the win.

“Everybody was so tired,” Kaiser said. “There were smiles on their faces, but we had just played our longest game of the season. I was so proud of the girls for the effort.”

Cameron Alaniz also scored for Memorial, tallying in the first half.

Memorial will next face San Antonio Reagan at 3 p.m. Friday at Brownsville Sports Park.

CLASS 5A

SHARYLAND HIGH 3, VICTORIA WEST 0: At Corpus Christi, Sharyland High needed only a little time to get settled in before cruising by Victoria West.

Vanessa Guevara opened the scoring about 25 minutes into the game on a shot off the post from about 25 yards out on the left wing. About 10 minutes later Kaitie Watson received a long pass and drove it home.

Isabella Marinaro scored the capper from 10 yards out with about 15 minutes to play.

“We were pretty dominant,” coach Aaron Clemons said. “The first half, they probably had one or two shots. And the second half they took one.”

Clemons said Sharyland got off to a slow start, adjusting to playing on grass rather than turf.

Sharyland advances to play Cedar Park at 4:30 p.m. on Friday in Corpus Christi.

BOYS

CLASS 4A

GRULLA 4, PLEASANTON 1: At Kingsville, Grulla picked up a dominating win against Pleasanton to continue the school’s first playoff run.

“Being this far is historic for us,” coach Angel Ortiz said. “Our soccer team motto is, ‘History in the making,’ and these guys are really taking it seriously. They consider themselves a team of brothers. It’s been historic, and we’re sticking to our motto.”

Grulla scored about 15 minutes in and never relinquished the lead, going up 4-0 before Pleasanton scored with about 10 minutes to play.

Miguel Flores, Ivan Castill, Victor Gaytan and Gerry Roldan all tallied for the Gators.

Grulla will face Liberty Hill at 6 p.m. Friday at Sharyland High.

HIDALGO 3, PROGRESO 1: At Mission, Hidalgo scored first and held on to beat Progreso.

Progreso coach Margarito Jimenez said a pair of defensive changes “backfired” on the team, allowing Hidalgo to take a 2-0 lead. Heriberto Gomez scored before half to draw Progreso within 2-1.

Hidalgo coach Zeke Morales could not be reached for comment.

Hidalgo advances to face Fredericksburg at 4 p.m. Friday at Sharyland High.

[email protected]

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — The PSJA Southwest Javelinas boys soccer team was just 2 minutes from securing a win in regulation. Then, Southwest senior Uriel Garcia was a questionable call from clinching the game with seconds remaining in overtime.

Stepping up to the final penalty kick with a chance to lock up the victory, Garcia would not be denied any longer. He took just a single step, powered the ball into the top of the net and set off a celebration with his teammates as PSJA Southwest claimed a 2-1 (4-3 in PKs) Class 5A regional quarterfinal win over the Donna High Redskins on Tuesday at PSJA Stadium.

“I told them, this is how playoffs are,” Garcia said. “We could never give up. We have to keep going until someone wins the game. We knew that someone had to come out victorious. We had to keep fighting until we got it.”

PSJA Southwest moves on to face either Vandegrift or Alamo Heights at noon Friday in Corpus Christi.

The Javelinas have reached the fourth round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

“Our emotions right now are very happy,” Garcia said. “We’re proud we made it so far. We knew it was going to be a hard game. We knew we couldn’t underestimate them. And we did what we had to do.”

Southwest came within 1:50 of closing the game out in regulation before Ricky Ramos netted the tying goal for Donna High.

After the Redskins switched to a four-forward attack to try to generate an equalizer, Donna sent a long pass into the box. Southwest keeper Diego Blanco inadvertently punched the ball towards the middle of the field, where Ramos was waiting to finish into an empty net.

Suddenly, Donna High was the team celebrating, as PSJA Southwest tried to regain its composure.

“During the intermission, I talked to the boys and said, ‘We’ve been here before,’” PSJA Southwest coach Jesus Palomin said. “Everybody was saying, ‘Hey coach, we got it. It’s not our first rodeo. Trust us.’”

The Javelinas looked the part of the experienced team in extra time, controlling the ball and generating numerous scoring opportunities.

Garcia thought he had netted with winner with just 18 seconds remaining, taking control of the ball just feet from net and poking it in with the side of his foot. But the referees called a handball on Garcia, putting confused looks on the faces of Southwest players as Palomin threw his hat to the turf in anger and disbelief.

“They called a handball, but so be it,” Palomin said. “I’m very proud of my boys, how they kept their composure and stuck to what they knew how to do. It was questionable, but it made it a thriller.”

Donna took an early advantage in the penalty shootout. Eduardo Escobar tucked a shot into the top right corner of the net, and keeper Elias De La Rosa made the opening save with a lunge to his left. But Donna’s Jose Guadalupe Gonzalez missed the team’s next attempt, and Southwest’s Blanco dove to his right to get a fist on Giovanni Coronado’s shot, Donna’s third. Francisco Montoya, Angel Morales, Miguel Vasquez (who scored Southwest’s lone goal in regulation) and finally Garcia all tallied to give Southwest the win.

The loss ends Donna High’s surprising run through the playoffs. The Redskins finished fifth in the District 32-5A standings before earning a playoff berth due to UIL rules violations by Donna North. Donna upset Sharyland High in the bi-district round and then beat Medina Valley to set up Tuesday’s matchup.

“Very proud of these kids,” Donna coach Mario Hernandez said. “Very proud of my team. We played against a very good team, and I know they’re going to do good at regionals.”

[email protected]

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — The PSJA Southwest Javelinas boys soccer team was not shy about outlining its goals for the 2015 season. They typed them out bolded, underlined, and in all caps on an 8 ½ by 11 sheet of paper and taped them to the wall of the locker room.

Underneath marks for goals scored and goals against — totals the team missed by only a sliver — is “32-5A DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP”. Indeed, the Javelinas claimed a district title for the first time this year, albeit when Brownsville Porter forfeited a pair of wins after the season.

Next up is “REGION 4 CHAMPIONSHIP”. That, too, would be a program first, but one the Javelinas have been on the precipice of the past two seasons. PSJA Southwest’s next step is a regional quarterfinal against Donna High at 8 tonight in Pharr’s PSJA Stadium.

The experience of making deep runs the past two seasons has the Javelins feeling that this could be the year they break through.
“We played with our hearts and everything (the first two years), but we didn’t have that taste of the playoffs, how it really was,” defender and team captain Uriel Garcia said. “How intense the games were. Now, with that experience, we’ve been modifying our mistakes from every single year to make a better team.”

Southwest played its first varsity season in 2012, narrowly missing the playoffs with a group of only freshmen and sophomores. In 2013, the Javelinas made what coach Jesus Palomin and his players describe as a “Cinderella” run to the fourth round.

Southwest came back even stronger last season, charging all the way to the regional semfinals before losing 1-0 to Georgetown. Palomin remembers how close Southwest was in that game, putting 24 shots on goal.

“We improved to five rounds deep, but still we were hungry for more,” Garcia said. “This year, we’re pretty much heading for state. That’s what we’re aiming at.”

Approaching those goals required Southwest to change its style. With 6-foot-2 midfield stalwart and leading scorer German Beltran graduated, the Javelinas had to become a quicker, more finesse team. Beltran used to be the go-to safety valve, Palomin said, and now Southwest relies on quick passing after just one or two touches.

The new approach, and an extra season of experience, has brought the team closer together.

“Last year, we had touch, but not all of the team would touch the ball,” left wing Miguel Vasquez said. “We had a little more individualism. This year, all of the team touches the ball. One or two touches, and then we pass. There’s no individualism this year. That makes us better.”

“Before, everything was different,” Garcia added. “We wouldn’t talk to each other. Now, we’ve come together. We became a family.”

Palomin has seen the Javelins mature in a multitude of areas.

Southwest has developed leadership — players who don’t feel jitters in the playoffs.

The Javelinas have added speed, training with parachutes and ladders during the offseason.

The team has built a culture at Southwest. Palomin’s players must always sit in the front of their classes, and on game days they wear their Sunday best.

Luis Escudero, the team’s leading scorer, has learned not to hang his head after a missed shot.

And with two playoff runs under their belt, the players are already battle-tested.

“The experience that we have has helped us a lot, because we know how to control the game, not get desperate and wait for our chances,” Garcia said. “We take every opportunity we have, and we score.”

If Southwest can get past Donna tonight, they’ll be one step closer to the fifth and final goal on their preseason sheet: “STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.”

“Anything is possible,” Palomin said. “The boys do believe in it. And that’s the main thing. If you believe, anything can happen. That’s what we try to install: That there are no limits here at Southwest.”

[email protected]

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — As one of four players with varsity experience on the newly formed Sharyland Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks soccer team, Julie Alanis told her teammates what to expect from their first taste of the playoffs.

“It hurts a lot when you lose your last game,” Alanis said. “You’ll regret not running to the ball, not pushing harder. You’ll keep thinking if I had done this, or if I had done this. Just always keep pushing. Think of the big picture and what will come out of it. You’ll be thankful.”

The Lady Diamondbacks took Alanis’ advice on Monday at Cats Stadium, putting away the Edinburg Vela Lady SaberCats 1-0 to earn a trip to the Class 5A regional semifinals.

Despite starting this season from scratch and boasting no varsity experience other than four transfers from Sharyland High, Alanis said Pioneer’s success is not surprising.

“We set ourselves to very high standards,” Alaniz said. “We don’t listen to what other people say. We play off of what we think of ourselves, and we’re very positive.”

Alanis said she felt people “underestimated” Pioneer early in the season, but that the group has developed better chemistry and a tighter bond as the year has gone on.

Alanis and fellow all-district returners Taylor Marquez and Hanna Padilla were critical to that process.

“They’ve been at this, and they’re great leaders,” coach J.J. Lopez said. “They’ve shown the others what it takes as far as work ethic to get to this level.”

Alanis showed it with her play on Monday, too, scoring the lone goal for the Diamondbacks when she one-touched a volley through the hands of Edinburg Vela keeper Mayra Ibarra. After a looping, hopeful shot from well outside the box deflected off the top of the crossbar, Alanis received a pass in the middle of the box and poked it home with 24:51 to play in the first half.

Advancing is hardly new ground for Lopez, who experienced plenty of deep playoff runs in 17 seasons at Sharyland High. He and Alanis advanced to the third round with Sharyland the past two seasons, but 2015 marks the first time any player on the Pioneer roster has reached the regional tournament.

“I just feel very fortunate that we’re able to do it with this group,” Lopez said. “Being a first-year program, it makes it a little bit sweeter.”

Pioneer advances to face defending state champion Austin Vandegrift at 6:30 p.m. on Friday in Corpus Christi.

“We’ll have our work cut out, but at this point, anything can happen,” Lopez said. ”I have faith that the girls are going to get reenergized for the regional tournament. I told them we all should be very appreciative, because not a lot of people can say that they get to go to the regional tournament. We just want to enjoy every moment.”

Monday’s meeting was the third of the season between the two schools, with Pioneer having won the first two tilts by a combined 7-0.

The SaberCats hardly looked the part of a major underdog on Monday, trading evenly with Pioneer on chances and possession for most of the night.

Vela engineered one of the cleanest scoring opportunities of the evening, when Chery Chavez and Lucia Valdez-Orozco executed a give-and-go that left Valdez-Orozco open in the box from about 12 yards out with about 11 minutes to play in the opening half. Pioneer keeper Stephanie Barrientos needed only to reach above her head to make the easy save, sending a groan through the vocal contingent of a few hundred Vela supporters.

“We played them better than the first times,” Vela coach Hugo Leal said. “We improved a lot during the year. … I’m proud of my girls. They tried their best. They played their hearts in the game. We came up short, but we died fighting, so that’s fine.”

[email protected]

BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

As the Edinburg Vela girls soccer program was trudging through a pair of losing seasons, one of coach Hugo Leal’s biggest challenges was keeping his players inspired.

Girls from Edinburg’s three existing schools converged at Vela in 2013 to start the new program, and the group of mostly sophomores was excited about the opportunity. But a 3-13 mark their first year and a 4-12 season in 2014 created plenty of disappointment and quiet bus rides back to campus.

Still, the SaberCats saw that they were improving. The girls were learning each other, learning their coach and learning how to play together. They ramped up their offseason training, confident that 2015 would be the season they would break through, and they were right.

Vela posted an 8-4 record in District 31-5A and claimed the first two playoff wins in school history this year, setting up a date with Sharyland Pioneer at 8 tonight at Cats Stadium in Edinburg.

“The first two years, I was very doubtful, and I would get down when we would lose,” senior midfielder Sommer Vanhook said. “In the summer, I just put all of that aside as I saw we were getting better, and I just worked really hard. I kept trying to push our team to do better. I’m seeing that it’s all paying off, and I’m glad I didn’t give up.”

Vanhook came to Vela after a season playing junior varsity at Edinburg North. Others, like senior Alannah Chavez, moved over from Edinburg High. They joined a coach in Leal who had spent the past two seasons coaching junior varsity at Edinburg Economedes and had never been a head coach before.

The players were eager to learn his system, but Leal said his teachings were vastly different from what the players had been taught before. He emphasized passing, possession and speed. Chavez said that she and the girls who came from Edinburg High were used to “playing just to play;” that practices were “more fun than determination and trying to win.”

Leal quickly installed new drills and workouts with an eye towards improvement.

“It took us some time to get with his program,” Chavez said. “The respect that we have for him has grown tremendously.”

Two years of varsity experience helped that sophomore core grow stronger, and Vanhook said the team made perhaps its biggest strides this past summer. At the recommendation of Leal, almost the entire varsity squad enrolled in indoor leagues and independent training programs, meeting at least weekly to continue developing their skills and chemistry.

“The first two years, we weren’t really clicking well,” Vanhook said. “But after we did all of the training in the summer, and offseason, and preseason, we really clicked.”

Sophomore Chery Chavez, Vela’s leading scorer, said Vela’s biggest improvement from 2014 is communication. Vanhook said going through two losing seasons turned the SaberCats into a sisterhood.

For Chery and Alannah, that’s literal. When Chery was making the jump from middle school to varsity play last season, her sister, Alannah, was there to help her transition, reminding her not to be afraid to miss open shots.

“Once you get to play with people for a certain amount of time, you get to start anticipating their thoughts,” Alannah said. “The bond that you have together when you play, it’s just growing stronger and stronger the more games that you play together.”

The development from year to year gave Vela confidence entering 2015. Leal said that making the playoffs was the goal “since Day 1 of this year.” Still, Alannah couldn’t help but be surprised by the magnitude of Vela’s turnaround.
“That was my goal, but if somebody would have told me you’re going to go to the playoffs, and you’re going to go all the way to Round 3, I probably wouldn’t have believed them,” she said.

For Leal, this run is no shock. He saw the eagerness to learn from Day 1 in 2013. He saw the conditioning and weight training that the SaberCats put in during the offseasons. He saw the talent start to compare more and more favorably with teams around the Valley. And he saw the maturity that comes from enduring two losing seasons before sparking a run in Year 3.

“The first year was kind of hard, but now those sophomores are seniors,” Leal said. “All of that work, and all of that process, is finally paying off for them.”

[email protected]