By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
The Brownsville Porter Cowboys’ stellar season came to an end in a 2-1 overtime defeat to Valley View in the Class 5A Region IV final.
Porter coach Jose Espitia felt his team dominated the game. The Cowboys controlled possession, and their speedy, aggressive offense had chances galore to get on the board.
But the ball didn’t bounce Porter’s way. Good shots went off and over the crossbar or just wide throughout the contest, despite a solid effort from start to finish.
“I’m very proud of my boys,” Espitia said. “They implemented their style of play and dominated the whole game. Unfortunately, the ball just didn’t want to go in today. All respect to Valley View, they were lucky tonight. And to be able to make it to the state tournament, you need to have some luck with you.
“Our boys gave it all they had,” he added. “Not happy with the outcome, but we’re really happy with the way they played. They fought to the last second. They had the opportunities. I feel sorry for my seniors because I honestly believe they deserved that ticket to state.”
Freshman midfielder Alessandro Lara scored the only Porter goal late in the first half. While all of the well-executed scoring plays didn’t come to fruition, Lara’s long kick deflected off the hands of the leaping Valley View goalkeeper to tie the game at 1.
Lara was one of a strong group of freshmen starters who shined for the Cowboys through the playoffs, and particularly in the final game.
Freshman defender Ricardo Leal showed that he’s a player to watch by locking up Valley View’s top scorer, Pablo Torre. He played tight defense to keep the Tigers from being able to maintain an offensive rhythm and was crucial in getting Porter’s runs started.
“We know that Ricardo’s going to be one of the top defenders in the Valley,” Espitia said. “As a freshman, to be taking on one of the top goal scorers in the Valley is tough. He did a great job.”
Leal and his team were emotional following the loss because they felt the game was theirs to win. He said the Cowboys “dominated all game, offense and defense, but the goals just didn’t come,” and Valley View capitalized on some lucky plays.
Leal watched Porter’s 2011 state run and had an uncle on that team, and following in those footsteps has been a lifelong dream. Falling short of that this season stings, but it’s going to push Leal to be even better in his next three seasons to try to get the Cowboys back to the state tournament.
“This is going to stay forever in my heart,” Leal said. “My teammates trusted me that I could stop (Torre), and I did. Very proud of myself. I’m going to come back stronger next year. We’re going to unite everyone together and teach the young ones coming from (middle school), and we’re going to come back for them next year.”
Freshman forward Martin Gonzalez was crucial to the Cowboys’ offense. He showed good control with the ball to race upfield and distributed strong passes to his teammates, but the ball just didn’t find its way into the net.
Porter is losing a strong senior class with plenty of experience, but the future remains bright for the perennial power. Espitia said this season and playoff run was a learning experience the Cowboys will lean on to continue making their community proud.
“My boys exceeded my expectations for the season. They went through so much, and they reached more than we thought we could,” Espitia said. “It’s a sour taste because we felt we had more light in our candle to shine. Hopefully this pain is going to be that fuel that’s going to make them work to come back stronger next season.”