BY JOHN JOE RIVERA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
PHARR – In a game that came down to penalty kicks, the Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles escaped with a 2-1 (4-2 in PKs) win over the PSJA Southwest Javelinas on Friday night in a Class 6A bi-district girls soccer playoff match.
The game was a defensive battle in which both teams dealt with gusty winds on the pitch.
“We knew in the second half we were going to have the wind in our favor, so that’s when we started attacking more,” Hanna coach Eliseo Guzman said regarding his halftime strategy for dealing with the conditions.
With the wind at its backs, Southwest came out firing in the first half. Victoria Trevino led the Javelinas with four shots on goal.
“My team and I wanted to work our very best, and I guess it didn’t turn out the way we wanted,” Trevino said. “We wanted to give our heart out, because we love this beautiful sport.”
Despite having the wind advantage, Southwest was not able to convert any of its shots in the first half.
“Very, very good game, both sides,” Southwest coach Juan Rodriguez said. “The ball just didn’t go in tonight.”
Just 13 minutes into the second half, Trevino would put the Javelinas on the scoreboard as she scored a goal off an assist from Karla Olivarez.
“I wanted to make Southwest proud,” Trevino said. “And I knew that we could’ve gone far, but I guess it wasn’t our season this year.”
Hanna answered that goal with one of their own less than two minutes later, as Andrea Arjona nailed a kick from about 15 yards out to tie the score at 1-1.
“I told the girls at halftime that they did an awesome job defending when the wind was against us,” Guzman said. “In the second half, I told them, ‘This is the time for us to attack.’”
The score would remain tied throughout regulation, leading to two 10-minute overtime periods.
The blustery conditions coupled with the defensive intensity of the playoff matchup caused both teams to be fatigued by the end of the second overtime period, with the score still tied 1-1.
The game then went to a penalty kicks shootout, with Hanna shooting first.
Southwest goalkeeper Saira Trevino managed to stop the first shot attempt, but Kathy Bucio was not able to convert on her turn. Hanna would go on to score on its next three attempts, with Southwest missing one more shot.
It all came down to Arjona once again with a chance to win the game with her penalty kick attempt.
When asked about her experience with penalty kicks this season, Arjona replied “It was my first time — my first time this season.”
Arjona showed no signs of pressure as she drilled a hard shot to the left side of the goal, just out of goalkeeper Trevino’s reach to seal the win.
“On that final penalty kick, I already knew it was mine,” Arjona said. “All my team believed in me, so it was going in. There was no other option.”
With the win, Brownsville Hanna will take on McAllen High next weekend in an area round matchup.