NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — Edinburg North hasn’t taken its foot off the gas all season and didn’t slow up on Friday night, cruising to a 1-0 win over PSJA Memorial to clinch the District 31-6A championship.
With 57 seconds left in the first half, Elvira Torres lined up for a free kick that should have been no issue. However, PSJA Memorial’s Kristi Gomez had trouble handling the ball, and about three Cougars helped the ball cross the goal line.
That was all the Cougars (12-1) needed as they tightened their grip on the game, dominating possession in the second half.
“It’s tough, because sometimes you just have a bad game, and you really can’t do much about it. You just have to fix it yourself,” Torres said. “I guess it’s just the fact that we play here at home with more pride and all the energy we have and leave it all on the field.”
Torres took a warning shot 21 minutes into the game, marking the first clear-cut opportunity for either team, but the ball from the edge of the box was no issue for Gomez.
PSJA Memorial (9-4) didn’t shy away from the challenge all night and had some of the better play early.
With 13 minutes left in the first half, Memorial’s Danna Barragán sent a perfectly placed free kick into the 6-yard box, but Yozary Gonzalez was only able to get a thigh on the ball, and the chance went by the wayside.
Barragán wasn’t done sending free kicks full of potential into the area. With under seven remaining in the half, another ball went through without solid contact.
North coach Danny Valdez said the adjustment of removing his stopper and adding a defensive midfielder helped, and his team put his halftime speech into action.
“We told them at halftime, (Memorial) won most of the balls in the first half,” Valdez said. “We asked them, ‘You guys want to finish it off today? You’re going to have to control the ball and the media — the second half. We’re going to have to dominate.’ And I think we did dominate the second half.”
Torres continued to be strong on the ball, and Janelle Saenz almost made it 2-0 a minute after the break.
“A fact that helped us is they had some players that were out, so that was one advantage for us,” Torres said. “Also the fact that we would man one of their best players, which was No. 7 (Gonzalez). Communication with the team — that’s all we need.”
Memorial’s Gonzalez made strong passes, but nothing that amounted to a serious chance. She appeared to suffer an injury early in the second half but continued to play. With four and a half minutes to play, she made a long individual run, but her flick toward the goal was no trouble for Gabriela Cano in net.
Valdez says the junior Torres had to adjust her game this season to be more of distributor.
“I’m the playmaker, but I can’t do it without my players, because they’re the ones that give me the options to make the runs,” Torres said. “They’re the ones that give me the options to make my plays. It’s basically them who give me the idea of what to do. I can’t do it without them.”
Senior Vanessa Cuevas praised her team’s No. 10, Torres, who also wears the captain’s armband.
“She’s a great a leader since her freshman year,” Cuevas said. “She’s a great player, too. It’s just incredible the way she plays.”
Valdez’s roster is composed heavily of juniors, plus plenty of sophomores and freshman. Cuevas is one of only two seniors and was happy to get the job done on friendly grass.
“It feels great, because it’s been three years we haven’t gotten district champs,” Cuevas said. “The team is full of freshmen who helped us a lot. It’s incredible, the feeling.”
Edinburg North will look to avenge its only loss of the season and gain momentum for the postseason when it plays PSJA High next week.
“The fourth-place team in the Brownsville District (32-6A) is like playing a first-place team over here,” Valdez said. “They’re all able to play good soccer over there. It’s important to finish strong in the end, because it carries to playoffs.”
Edinburg North poses after securing the District 31-6A Championship Nathaniel Mata
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