NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
The Edinburg Vela SaberCats lost their district opener 3-2 in penalties to Edinburg North on Jan. 26, then three games later fell 2-1 against then-second place PSJA Memorial.
Since that Feb. 6 defeat, the SaberCats are on the uptick, winning five of their last six games, including a 2-0 shutout of PSJA Memorial earlier this week.
“Their passes are getting better and pressuring a little more on the field. It looks like they want it more,” Vela coach Americo Cortez said. “They wanted to catch (PSJA) Memorial for that second spot. Of course, the main goal was district, and we’re a little far from that, but they’re coming together.”
With their head-to-head win against the Wolverines, the SaberCats have moved into a second-place tie at 25 points. Vela faces last-place PSJA North and second-to-last Edinburg Economedes to close out their regular season. PSJA Memorial, on the other hand, will visit first place Edinburg North tonight before closing the district season with PSJA Southwest.
Last year, Vela was eliminated in the bi-district round by Harlingen South. This year, Harlingen High and Harlingen South are jockeying for position behind 32-6A frontrunner Los Fresnos.
“We told them from the beginning: it’s not the way you start, it’s the way you end,” Cortez said. “Right now, the girls are focusing on the playoffs. They know that every game in the playoffs is going to be really hard. It’s been a struggle being in third place through district. Now, we caught up. The team is getting more confident.”
Cortez has been pleased with the quality of the SaberCats’ goals lately, especially with the ability to make extra passes and execute a better team-oriented style.
Freshman Taylor Campbell and senior Ayssa Arevalo have been cashing in on the better play. Campbell leads the team with 14 district goals, but Arevalo is not far behind with 10.
Cortez says the two goal scorers are being selfless, and that’s gone a long way.
“They give the ball to each other,” Cortez said. “A lot of the goals have been by the other one assisting. They know that working together is first for the team, and then for them.”