By EDWARD SEVERN, Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — The Brownsville Porter Cowboys’ soccer team sits atop the District 32-5A table with only three games left to go.
Only points separate the Cowboys (28) from rivals Brownsville Veterans Memorial (27) and Brownsville Lopez (26). Porter and Lopez will face each other in the final game of district play March 11.
“I am just focused on the teams coming up,” said Julian Gallegos, Porter’s leading goal scorer with 14 goals. “Even though that could be for first place in the district, I am focused on who we play next.”
Porter will head to Brownsville Pace this Friday. The Vikings are fourth in the district and six points clear of Edcouch-Elsa. A single point against Porter will be massive for Pace’s playoff aspirations.
“Every time we go to Pace, we know it is going to be tough,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “We do not expect nothing less than a pre-playoff game. They are fighting for their life.”
Espitia hopes the Cowboys stay controlled due to the physicality that he expects. Players that have accumulated cards could miss big games if they pick up bookings these next few games.
Injuries are also worrying heading into the playoffs. Porter has dealt with plenty of injuries, plus academic and COVID-19 problems, forcing Espitia to rotate his squad early in the season.
“The competition in the team is very even,” Espitia said. “It is hard to pick a starting 11, but that is a good problem to have.”
The young team has surpassed Espitia’s expectations. Porter graduated 14 players last season, causing a possible problem with the team’s identity, but Espitia lauded this generation’s style of play.
“Every group of kids have their strengths and weaknesses,” Espitia said. “The transition from defense to attack on this team is quick. Sometimes we try to exploit that.”
The ability to get in transition quick has created plenty of chances for the Cowboys. Porter has scored 34 goals in district play and has only given up five goals.
“We are just staying strong,” sophomore defender Ricardo Leal said. “Everything starts from bottom to top. Our confidence at the back helps start the attack, and our fullbacks get up the field well to assist our midfielders.”
Gallegos is joined by sophomore Martin Gonzalez and senior Jose Mateos in attack. Gonzalez has netted 12 goals and Mateos has finished 10 times this season. The Cowboys put eight goals past Donna High on Tuesday night.
“I feel really confident about this team going into the playoffs,” Mateos said. “We are really good in attack right now, we have had some chances that we should have finished, but we are working on getting better.”