ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The matchup of state-ranked teams highlighting Friday’s action at the 37th annual Brownsville ISD Boys Soccer Tournament/Showcase ended with a 1-0 victory for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers on their home field.

Brownsville Veterans, the eigth-ranked Class 5A team in the state by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches, prevailed on an early second-half penalty kick over San Antonio Reagan, a Class 6A state finalist one year ago that is ranked No. 4 in Texas in 6A this season by TASCO.

The three-day, 24-team BISD event continues at 9 a.m. today with matches at Brownsville Veterans, Hanna and Rivera. There is no championship match this year, just three or four full 80-minute games for each team throughout the three days.

On Friday, following a tripping call on the Rattlers in the penalty area about 10 minutes into the second half, Brownsville Veterans’ Albert Maradiaga drilled a strong penalty-kick attempt into the right corner of the net to give the Chargers the only score they needed against Reagan.

Some might argue it was an insignificant winning result for Brownsville Veterans considering it was a tournament match that had no bearing on the upcoming District 32-5A race that starts Jan. 25.

But the Chargers begged to differ.

“This is pre-district, as we all know, but a win like this is great motivation,” said Mark Boswell, a junior forward/midfielder for the Chargers. “We’re playing well, and we’re not going to stop. We’re going to keep pushing forward, keep playing smarter and keep improving.”

Alberto Vasquez, the Brownsville Veterans coach, was in total agreement.

“This is the reason why we’re happy to have a team like Reagan come down to our tournament (for the first time),” Vasquez said. “When we knew they were coming, I really wanted us to play them, so that’s pretty much why we scheduled this game. We were really looking forward to facing them.

“I was really hoping our guys would come out and play a good game, and they did,” Vasquez added. “It was a great match all around for both teams. We had our opportunity (on the penalty kick), and we took advantage of it. It’s great to win this type of game (between state-ranked opponents).”

Each team was missing players due to injuries. Also, the Rattlers had a pair of players red-carded in their 2-1 win on penalty kicks against Hanna during Thursday’s opening day of the tournament/showcase, so those two players had to sit out the match against Brownsville Veterans.

Reagan coach Gilbert Villarreal said it was a competitive game against the Chargers that could have gone either way.

“We played a very good team that is very well-coached, well-organized and plays hard,” Villarreal said. “For us to come down and play these Brownsville teams in their own city and in their back yards on the fields at their schools, (it’s a challenge). I thought we played fairly well, even though we had several players missing. They did as well, and it was (still) a good game.

“It’s good for us to battle through some of the adversity we’re facing and try to find a winning result,” Villarreal added. “They got the PK, which in my opinion was a call that could have gone either way. It was probably something the ref had to call. Congratulations to Veterans. They did very well.”

Reagan wraps up play in the BISD event at 1 p.m. today at Rivera against the Raiders.

Brownsville Veterans, which defeated Harlingen South 7-0 on Thursday, returns to its home field at 1 p.m. today to complete tournament play against Los Fresnos.

In all, 12 matches are scheduled today, with the last three games set for 3 p.m. at the three tournament sites.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

The Hanna Golden Eagles started off with a win Thursday on the opening day of the 37th annual Brownsville ISD Boys Soccer Tournament/Showcase.

Nevermind that it was a slow start.

The Eagles spotted Edinburg High a 1-0 first-half lead before rallying with three second-half goals to win comfortably 3-1 on their home field.

The three-day BISD event features 24 teams playing full 80-minute matches at the campuses of Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Hanna and Rivera. Each team is playing three or four matches. The tournament/showcase runs through Saturday. There will be no championship match this year.

Hanna coach Reyes Prado was feeling pretty good about his team after the victory over the Bobcats.

“We’re doing real well when we have a complete team and everyone is playing his position,” said Prado, who returns three starters from the team that advanced three rounds in the Class 6A playoffs one season ago. “We had to start with two or three different guys in the lineup (against Edinburg High), but we did well in the second half.

“I’m surprised with how well we’re passing the ball and how my three new midfielders in the center (Luis Renterria, Jose Guerrero and Sebastian Gonzalez) are playing,” Prado added. “When we are pressured, the guys are welcoming the pressure. We’re passing the ball quickly and moving out of tight spaces. In those situations, we’re moving the ball forward, so that’s good.

“Defensively, we tend to recover a lot of balls there in the midfield, and it’s been helping us big time.”

Trailing 1-0 during in the second half, Hanna’s Miguel Payan converted a penalty kick to tie the score. Teammates Kevin Ocha and Renterria added goals down the stretch to give Hanna its 3-1 win.

The Eagles completed the first day with a Thursday night match against San Antonio Reagan, the 6A team that is ranked No. 1 in Region IV-6A and No. 4 in the state by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches (TASCO).

“We’re going to treat it like it’s against any other Valley team,” Prado said.

The Eagles were edged 2-1 on penalty kicks by the Rattlers.

Another local team with a strong start to the tournament/showcase was Pace. The Vikings opened their season with a 3-0 triumph against McAllen Rowe on Thursday morning at Rivera.

Pace led 2-0 at halftime against the Warriors. Scoring the Vikings’ goals were Jonathan Martin, Jonathan Mendoza and Erik Chavez.

The Vikings capped the day with a 1-0 late afternoon victory over Los Fresnos at Hanna.

The only score was a high, arcing shot by Chavez that went through the Los Fresnos goalkeeper’s hands and settled into the back of the net with 23 minutes remaining.

“I’m glad that we’re doing on the field what we’ve been training,” Vikings coach Mario A. Zamora said. “That’s what I’m asking the players to do. Obviously, we still have a lot of things to correct and plenty to continue working on, but I’m glad that what we did today is what we’ve been working on.

“I’m happy for our two wins today,” he added. “We’re going to continue training hard so we can be ready for district.”

The highlight of today’s schedule figures to be the 5 p.m. match at Brownsville Veterans between the Chargers and Reagan. Both teams are state-ranked by TASCO. Brownsville Veterans is No. 8 in the state in Class 5A.

ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The 37th annual Brownsville ISD Boys Soccer Tournament/Showcase begins its three-day run at 9 a.m. today at the Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Rivera and Hanna campuses.

There are 24 teams participating, including all six Brownsville public high schools and St. Joseph Academy. Also entered are Harlingen High, Harlingen South, San Benito and Los Fresnos.

San Antonio Reagan is playing in the event for the first time. The Texas Association of Soccer Coaches (TASCO) has the Rattlers ranked as the preseason No. 1 team in Class 6A Region IV and No. 4 in the state. Reagan was the 6A runner-up to Alief Elsik at the UIL state tournament last season.

Austin St. Stephens, a soccer academy, is returning to the BISD event.

Other teams playing in the tournament include McAllen High, McAllen Rowe, Donna North, Donna High, Edinburg High, Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg Vela, PSJA Southwest, Roma, Laredo LBJ and Laredo United South.

LBJ won last weekend’s second annual Southmost Classic in Brownsville.

“We are expecting all the games to be played at a high level,” said Brownsville Veterans coach Alberto Vasquez, whose Chargers are ranked No. 2 in the region and No. 8 in the state in Class 5A by TASCO. “We hope to learn as much as possible about our team (by playing these games) as we get ready for District 32-5A (which starts Jan. 25).”

There’s a format change for the tournament this year. It’s become more of a showcase since there won’t be bracket play with a championship match on Saturday. Instead, each team plays three or four full 80-minute games over the course of the three days.

For example, Reagan’s games are against Hanna at 7 p.m. today at Hanna, against Brownsville Veterans at 5 p.m. Friday at Veterans and against Rivera at 1 p.m. Saturday at Rivera.

Brownsville Veterans won last year’s BISD bracket play tournament with a 5-1 victory over La Joya Juarez-Lincoln in the final.

The 20th annual BISD Girls Soccer Tournament was played last weekend at six sites in Brownsville with the Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies capturing the championship. PSJA North was second and Hanna third.

In the recent past, the two BISD tournaments have been played on the same weekend, but not this year.

STRONG STARTS

The Harlingen and San Benito girls teams from District 32-6A all enjoyed non-district winning results on Tuesday.

The Harlingen High Lady Cardinals were on fire in posting an 8-0 triumph over Laredo LBJ. The Lady Cardinals went up 5-0 by halftime and didn’t look back. Scoring two goals apiece for Harlingen High were Lauren Powell, Claire Reed and Kaylani Vasquez. Adding solo tallies were Gillian Cespedes and Brianna Garza.

Tuesday marked the season opener for the Harlingen South Lady Hawks. They responded with a 4-2 victory over PSJA High after leading 1-0 at intermission. Scoring the Lady Hawks’ goals were Joana Marquez, Sarah Garza, Stephanie Torres and Sandra Lopez.

Also coming away with a win were the San Benito Lady Greyhounds, who edged Mission Veterans 3-2. The Lady Greyhounds were ahead 2-1 at halftime. Scoring their goals were Paola Martinez, Aaliyah Garza and Janie Castellanos. The Lady Greyhounds’ new coach this season is Johnny Garza.

GOOD TUNE-UP

Brownsville boys teams capturing decisive non-district wins on Tuesday ahead of the BISD Tournament/Showcase included Rivera, Hanna and Porter. All three were victorious on their home fields.

Rivera triumphed over Edinburg Economedes 5-1, while Hanna was a 4-0 winner against La Joya High. Also Tuesday, Porter downed Harlingen High 4-1.

To begin BISD action today, it’s Rivera vs. Donna North at 11 a.m. at Rivera, Hanna vs. Edinburg High at 11 a.m. at Hanna and Porter vs. PSJA Southwest at 1 p.m. at Rivera.

ON THE ROAD

While almost all the Lower Valley 6A and 5A boys teams are playing at the tournament in Brownsville this weekend, many of the girls squads are hitting the road.

The Lopez Lady Lobos figure to travel the greatest distance as they play in a tournament at Dripping Springs. Local girls teams headed to a tournament in San Antonio include Brownsville Veterans, Pace, Porter and Hanna. La Joya ISD is staging a girls tournament as well. Among the girls teams scheduled to play at that tournament are Los Fresnos, San Benito and Port Isabel.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

There’s something about picking up a confidence-boosting win early in the soccer season that feels pretty good.

The Porter Cowboys earned one at home Tuesday night against the Harlingen High Cardinals.

Porter built a comfortable 3-0 first-half lead and wound up winning 4-1.

“I couldn’t remember the last time Harlingen High played here at Porter High School, and it looked like an interesting matchup,” Cowboys coach Jose Espitia said about arranging the game. “The Cardinals had a big rivalry against the Brownsville schools in the early 1990s.

“I told our players (since it was a non-district match) to just go out there and have some fun, while at the same time continuing to work on what we’ve been doing,” Espitia added. “Our guys did really well. We subbed between eight to 10 of our players (at different times) in the first 20 minutes or so. The ones who went in played well, too.

“Seeing the backups go in and the team continue to do well was what we wanted to see. I was really happy with the boys.”

Goals by Porter’s Jose Xavier Mateos, Brandon Montes and Ossiris Hernandez during the ninth, 14th and 20th minutes, respectively, made it 3-0.

During the 54th minute, Porter’s Oscar Garcia came in fast down the middle on a breakaway attack and fired a shot into the net from about 15 yards away to increase the lead to 4-0.

Harlingen High’s Skylar Zapata scored the Cardinals’ lone goal with five minutes remaining. The Porter goalkeeper was unable to secure the loose ball before Zapata punched it in from a close distance near the right post.

Harlingen High coach Johnny Guillen said his squad was at a disadvantage Tuesday because of injuries.

“Battling the injury bug to get healthy by district time is the main thing for us right now,” Guillen said. “I scheduled some tough non-district opponents (like Porter) to get us ready for district.

“Honestly, I’ve got about eight to 10 starters hurt, and they didn’t play tonight,” he added. “It’s only my second year as the head coach, and I never thought I’d be saying I had 10 players out.

“Porter’s an amazing team, and the ones who played for us against them did a great job. I’m just glad our guys came out here and competed (despite our injury situation). Porter is a team that is well-coached and can touch the ball very well.”

The 2019 UIL season began last Thursday, and the Cowboys are coming off a third-place finish at last weekend’s second annual Southmost Classic in Brownsville. The Cardinals played at a Houston tournament last weekend.

This week, both teams will be participating in the 37th annual Brownsville ISD Tournament/Showcase starting Thursday at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Hanna and Rivera.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln is becoming a well-rounded soccer school.

The Juarez-Lincoln boys have been considered one of the top teams in the Rio Grande Valley for quite some time.

The Juarez-Lincoln girls now are making a name for themselves as well.

The Lady Huskies emerged as champions of the Brownsville ISD Girls Soccer Tournament on Saturday by defeating Hanna 3-1 and PSJA North 6-0 in Gold Group pool-play action at Brownsville Veterans Memorial.

The three-day, 24-team tournament was played at six sites. Besides Brownsville Veterans, the other sites included Pace, Hanna, Rivera, Sams Memorial Stadium and Brownsville Sports Park.

The Juarez-Lincoln girls now boast an 8-0 record after a successful opening weekend to the 2019 UIL soccer season.

“More than anything, what stands out to me right now is our girls are playing very well collectively as a team,” said Lady Huskies coach Ricardo Garza, now in his fifth season of guiding the team. “There is a lot of great competition in the Brownsville school district, and we’re very glad to be playing here.

“Winning this tournament is a momentum builder,” Garza added. “With this (tournament) win, our girls know now they’re able to overcome the obstacles we face. We faced a lot of great opponents, especially ones from the Brownsville (school) district, and my hat is off to all of them. This (tournament) win is something that builds character in our girls.”

The 6-0 victory against PSJA North clinched the tournament championship for the Lady Huskies.

Highlighting the victory over the Lady Raiders were Lincoln-Juarez’s Priscilla Hernandez and Melanie Olivarez.

Hernandez, a junior midfielder, blasted in a free kick from approximately 50 yards away to make it 2-0 in the first half for Juarez-Lincoln. Olivarez, a junior forward, later tallied a pair of goals against the Lady Raiders to lead her team in scoring for the match.

Earlier in the day against Hanna at Brownsville Veterans, the Lady Huskies built a 3-0 first-half advantage en route to defeating the Lady Golden Eagles, who finished as the tournament’s third-place team since they also lost to PSJA North 2-1 on Saturday. PSJA North wound up as the tournament runner-up.

Hanna coach Eliseo Guzman said the BISD girls tournament to open the new soccer season was a beneficial experience for his squad.

“We had a good tournament,” Guzman said. “I saw good chemistry among the players.

“I had a chance to see my players in different positions,” he added. “Hopefully we can have a good season in district.”

Also Saturday, the tournament featured Silver Group pool play at Pace to determine fourth, fifth and sixth places.

Pace beat PSJA High 3-0 and tied Rivera 1-1 to finish as the event’s fourth-place team. Also, Rivera later downed PSJA High 2-0 to take fifth place, leaving the Lady Bears as the sixth-place finishers.

In last year’s tournament final, McAllen Memorial defeated Pace 2-1.

This year for the first time, pool play was used throughout the entire tournament, even on the final day.

ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

The Laredo LBJ Wolves have traveled to Brownsville to open the UIL soccer season every year for nearly two decades.

LBJ’s trip to the Rio Grande Valley to begin the 2019 season was particularly rewarding this time since the Wolves won the second annual Southmost Classic.

In Saturday’s championship match at Porter, LBJ prevailed over Lopez 1-0 on penalty kicks (5-4) after a scoreless 60 minutes of regulation play.

The three-day, 13-team tournament was played at Porter and Lopez.

Also Saturday, Porter won the third-place match 4-0 over Los Fresnos at Lopez, and McAllen High edged Edinburg High 2-1 on penalty kicks (4-3) for fifth place earlier in the day at Porter.

“This tournament championship goes out to every single player that has been in the LBJ soccer program,” said Wolves coach Eddie Silva, who has guided the team since the early 2000s. “I’m proud of them because they always keep in touch with me. For example, they’ve been texting me at this tournament or contacting me on Facebook to wish our current team the best of luck. They tell our boys to go all out.

“Our past players really know what it means to beat teams like Rivera, Porter and now Lopez,” Silva added. “It speaks highly of my boys, and I’m very proud of them.”

The most eventful moment in regulation during Saturday’s final came with about one minute left in the first half when a Lopez player was red-carded for apparently throwing an elbow when he and an LBJ player were involved in a collision at midfield while battling for the ball.

Despite being down a player, the Lobos remained in close contention throughout the rest of the match.

Following a scoreless 60 minutes, it all came down to penalty kicks since no overtime was played. It took six players from each team attempting PKs before the outcome was decided 5-4 in LBJ’s favor.

During the PKs, Lopez goalkeeper Andrew Flores blocked one LBJ attempt, and Wolves goalkeeper Jorge Plata stopped two tries by the Lobos.

LBJ’s Gabriel Garcia, the 11th player to attempt a PK, converted his try to give his team a 5-4 edge. Moments later, when the 12th player stepped up for his attempt, Plata blocked a second Lopez PK to clinch the victory.

Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said just getting a chance to play as many matches as possible during the tournament was a big benefit for the Lobos.

“It helped us a lot,” Escandon said. “We got to see some players we hadn’t seen in a real-game situation, and they responded very well. I think we’re improving and going in the right direction. From our scrimmages to now, there’s been a lot of improvement. That’s a big plus for us.”

When asked about playing with one less player for more than half the title match following the red card, the Lopez coach said, “We just told the guys it was a mental thing and to keep playing hard. Even though we were short a player, our guys kept pushing up to go for the win. Unfortunately we didn’t get it, but it was one of those situations where we have to prepare the players for what might happen again.

“It’s better that something like that happens now (and they learn how to deal with it), than have it happen when it counts for something more important (such as in District 32-5A),” Escandon added. “I think there was a lot to learn from this game that should help us down the road.”

The championship match of the inaugural Southmost Classic one year ago saw Porter edge Lopez 1-0.

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The idea behind participating in a tournament on the first weekend of the UIL soccer season is for teams to play as many games as possible.

Winning is nice as well.

The Lopez Lady Lobos got to gain experience and add three victories to their record Friday during the second day of the Brownsville ISD Girls Soccer Tournament.

The three-day, 24-team event is being played at six sites in Brownsville. The sites include Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Hanna, Pace, Rivera, Sams Memorial Stadium and Brownsville Sports Park.

After Friday, six teams were still alive in the tournament.

Today marks the final day of action. There will be a three-team Gold Group competition with 30-minute halves scheduled at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Brownsville Veterans to determine first, second and third place. The teams involved are Hanna, PSJA North and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.

A three-team Silver Group competition with 20-minute halves is scheduled at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. at Pace to determine fourth, fifth and sixth place. The teams involved are Rivera, Pace and PSJA High.

Lopez ended its tournament activity on Friday after going 3-0 at Hanna.

The Lady Lady Lobos defeated Port Isabel 6-0, La Joya High 3-0 and Progreso 2-0 with a squad of mostly junior varsity players.

The Lopez girls didn’t do well enough to qualify for today’s competition, but Lady Lobos coach Alex Macias was upbeat about his team’s prospects after Friday’s showing. Macias is beginning his 10th year coaching the Lopez girls.

“I see that the girls’ team chemistry is coming together,” he said. “These are the first games (of the season for us) in this tournament, and it looks like they’re coming together.

“I think we’re going to be contenders (in District 32-5A),” Macias added. “I think we’ll be up to the challenge.”

Top scorers for the Lady Lobos so far are Myrka Garcia, Adamaris Rangel and Zayra Esquivel.

The Lady Lobos tallied four goals Thursday and 10 Friday, so they’re feeling good about their scoring potential.

“This tournament gives us more experience,” Macias said. “Last year I had five freshmen. They still did really well (one season ago), but I can see that they’re coming out (and doing better) now. I see that the more games they play, the better they’re becoming. These games are really helping us develop our structure (on the field).”

This weekend marks the first of three tournaments for the Lady Lobos. They’ll be at the Drippings Springs Tournament next weekend and at the PSJA Tournament the weekend after that.

“I know the competition is going to be real tough (during the coming weeks),” Macias said. “We’re just trying to see how we fit in (competitively with the other teams).”

(Courtesy photos by Roberto Garcia)

By ROY HESS | Staff Writer

The 13 teams playing in the second annual Southmost Classic moved one day closer to determining a tournament champion on Friday.

The three-day boys soccer tournament is being played at Porter and Lopez with two groups of pool play each day. Pool play continues this morning at both sites starting at 9 a.m.

With one pool-play match left today against Edinburg High, Laredo LBJ already has clinched first place in Pool A at Porter. In Pool B at Lopez, it appears the Lobos or Los Fresnos will be the first-place team.

At Lopez, the Lobos finish pool play this morning against Laredo United at 9 a.m. and Los Fresnos faces McAllen High at 10:30 a.m.

The top two teams from each group play in the championship match at 3:30 p.m. today at Porter. The runners-up from each group play for third place at 3:30 p.m. today at Lopez. A fifth-place match will take place at 2 p.m. today at Porter.

Laredo LBJ enjoyed the best showing Friday at Porter by winning three times. The Wolves defeated Rivera (1-0), Porter (2-1) and Laredo United South (1-0).

Porter was looking good after the first day on Thursday with two wins, but the Cowboys went 1-1-1 Friday with the loss to LBJ, a 1-0 victory over Laredo United South and a scoreless tie against Edinburg High.

“The tournament competition has been very intense with some good teams playing in it,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “The tournament has had some very even matches,

“(Even though we lost) I really like the intensity and personality our guys showed against LBJ,” Espitia added. “It was a very close, intense game, and it was a very good experience for our players. We were able to see the potential our team has, especially as we get closer to District (32-5A).

“Despite the fact that we lost (to LBJ), we were happy with what we saw from our team. It’s the only game we’ve lost so far (this season), but I think it was one of the games where we’ve played our best.”

The first pool-play game at Lopez on Thursday saw Los Fresnos defeat the Lobos 2-1, which set the tone for the closely contested matches that have followed.

Since their tournament-opening setback, the Lobos have won three matches, including victories Friday against Edinburg North 2-1 and against McAllen High 1-0. The Lobos beat Donna High 4-1 on Thursday.

Since its tournament-opening win against Lopez, Los Fresnos has tied Edinburg North 2-2 and Laredo United 0-0 while defeating Donna High 1-0.

Porter won the inaugural Southmost Classic one year ago by defeating Lopez 1-0 in the final.

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

The Porter Cowboys are doing their best to defend the Southmost Classic championship they won one year ago.

Thursday’s first day of the second annual Southmost Classic marked the beginning of the 2019 UIL soccer season.

The three-day, 13-team tournament at Lopez and Porter featured pool play Thursday with the same format continuing at 9 a.m. today at both sites.

Porter won the tournament last season with a 1-0 victory over Lopez in the final.

The Cowboys, playing on their home field, were only one of three teams in the tournament to win two matches Thursday. Rivera and Laredo LBJ were the other teams to win twice.

The Cowboys opened the day with a 2-0 triumph against La Joya High before edging Rivera 1-0.

Oscar Garcia and Daniel Martinez tallied the goals for Porter against La Joya High. Alan Romero scored the only goal of the match against Rivera.

Porter coach Jose Espitia said it was a solid start to the new season.

“Well, it was a positive day for us,” the Cowboys coach said. “The main goal is to prepare for District (32-5A), and it seems we are moving in the right direction.

“We had a good test today against a great program like Rivera, and I think our boys showed character,” he added. “Now we need to keep working and see what tomorrow has for us.”

Rivera came back after its narrow loss to Porter and beat Port Isabel 5-0 in the final game of the day at Porter. The Raiders downed Edinburg High 3-1 in the first match of the day at Porter.

LBJ defeated Port Isabel 3-0 and La Joya High 4-2, both games at Porter.

Also playing at Porter, Edinburg High bounced back from its 3-1 loss to Rivera to beat Port Isabel 3-0 before tying Laredo United South 1-1.

The games at Lopez also were closely contested as Los Fresnos edged the Lobos 2-1 in the first match of the day. Lopez rebounded to defeat Donna High 4-1, while Los Fresnos later tied Edinburg North 2-2.

In other action at Lopez, McAllen High downed Edinburg North 2-1 and tied Laredo United 0-0.

The point standings in each of the two groups figure to become a little clearer today when pool play continues.

There will be pool play Saturday morning as well before the winners of each pool play for the championship at 6 p.m. Saturday at Porter. The second-place teams from each group play for third place at 6 p.m. Saturday at Lopez.

(Courtesy photo by Maria Esteves)

By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald

Sunny skies, 50-degree temperatures and gusty winds greeted the teams on Thursday’s opening day of the Brownsville ISD Girls Soccer Tournament.

Thursday marked the beginning of the 2019 UIL soccer season in Texas.

There were 24 teams involved in pool play games at six artificial-turf sites in Brownsville on Thursday.

Pool play with new group configurations continues starting at 9 a.m. today at Brownsville Veterans, Pace, Rivera, Hanna, Sams Memorial Stadium and Brownsville Sports Park.

One of the teams that went 3-0 on the first day of the tournament was Brownsville Veterans Memorial with wins against La Fera (1-0), Eagle Pass (2-0) and Rio Grande City (3-0).

Raquel Cepeda scored the lone goal for the Lady Chargers against La Feria. Kaylyn Maradiaga and Ania Laguna had the goals against Eagle Pass. The Lady Chargers who scored against RGC were Loren Averyt, Julissa Canada and Maradiaga.

Lady Chargers coach Luis Troncoso was glad to see his team win three games on its home field Thursday, but he tempered his enthusiasm.

“I guess the first thing to do is look at the improvements we need to make, and we need to make sure we key on that so we can get better,” Troncoso said. “It takes a lot of work, but it looks like we’re getting there.

“We still have a lot of tough competition coming up (in this tournament),” he added. “Right now, we’re a work in progress.”

Brownsville Veterans won Group A and Eagle Pass was second.

The Group B winner was Pace and the runner-up was San Benito. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln won Group C at BSP and PSJA North finished second. Group D was played at Sams Stadium with Mission Veterans and PSJA High tying for first place. The Lady Bears prevailed for the top spot in the group on a tiebreaker. Lopez ended up in third place.

At Rivera, the Lady Raiders won Group E with Weslaco High finishing second. Hanna won Group F on its home field with Weslaco East coming in as the runner-up.

After pool play today, the top six teams advance to additional pool play starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at Brownsville Veterans (Gold Group) and at Pace (Silver Group).