NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
SAN ANTONIO — The Brownsville Rivera girls soccer team knew it would have to be mistake free to overcome Austin Lake Travis. The Raiders weren’t able to play the clean game they wanted, and their Cinderella run to the regional tournament ended with a 5-0 loss at the hands of the Cavaliers on Friday at Blossom Athletic Center.
“It’s a learning experience for me, for the girls,” second-year Rivera coach Peter Rodriguez said. “It’s the first time I’m here as a coach. For the girls, it’s the first time they’re here, also. The girls fought till the end. That’s all I ask of them.”
Lake Travis, the third-place finisher from District 25-6A, was faster and stronger on the ball but took some time before breaking the ice of the Class 6A regional semifinal. Once the Cavaliers scored the initial goal, the floodgates opened for four first-half goals.
The Rivera girls’ improbable path to the regional tournament as the No. 4 seed from District 32-6A was paved with close wins and upsets. In the first round, the Raiders knocked off 31-6A champions Edinburg North. Then they took down McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe from District 30-6A in dramatic one-goal wins.
“The road getting here, it was a difficult one. We had our ups and downs,” Rodriguez said. “We’re the only team in Region IV that is here in the tournament, boys and girls, that has a losing record. That’s something to say. We kind of started peaking toward the end. It was difficult, but toward the end, we started getting a lot better.”
The Raiders were put on their heels early due to the Cavaliers connecting on a majority of their short passes in the first 10 minutes of play.
Lake Travis missed on a few early shot attempts and corner-kick opportunities, then created some dicey moments in front of goalkeeper Daisy Cano at the 11-minute mark of the game.
Eventually, the pressure became production. With 23:26 to play, the Cavs broke through on their third shot on Cano. The goal came on a breakaway chance that Trinity Clark fit between the legs of the keeper.
Jordyn Lewis scored the second goal of the game after some ticktack passing put her in front of an open net.
The third goal came when Lake Travis finally put together its long and short passes for a score. Haley Shaw received a through pass to the sideline, where she took her run wide before finding Lewis.
The fourth goal was a microcosm of the Raiders’ difficult day. Clark’s shot from the box hit the post and rolled in before anyone could clear the ball.
Lake Travis tacked on a fifth and final goal in the second half from distance off the foot of Shaw and past relief keeper Ashley Torres.
Rivera’s girls were making their first appearance at the regional tournament, joining the boys’ squad this season. The Raiders will only graduate a handful of seniors and hope to use the regional qualification to advance the program.
“The girls will have the experience. I’m only losing four players,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully, we can play up next year and be team players. The girls have always had a good program at Rivera. The talent has always been there. It was just a matter of setting things right.”