McALLEN — When Kennedy Kaiser finally stepped onto the pitch for McAllen Memorial this season, she clearly wasn’t the only one excited.
The freshman stalwart’s longtime teammate, close friend (and another offensive juggernaut) Chloey Mejia, was thrilled.
Her father, McAllen Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser, proudly beamed at finally having the opportunity to coach his oldest child.
Sofia Alaniz-Choy, who stepped up to fill in for Kaiser (even before she arrived) moved to where she could do more damage with her strong leg and mind offensively, defensively and wherever else needed (even in goal a few times.)
The Memorial young guns — there are 12 freshmen and sophomores on a roster of 20 — knew that now was their time and a bright future was waiting.
They were aware of what it meant to their team — and it showed as the Mustangs prepare to play undefeated Smithson Valley at 1 p.m. Friday at the Brownsville Sports Park in the second Region 4-5A semifinal, also known as the Sweet 16. Their game will follow the first girls semifinal between city and district rival McAllen High and Leander Rouse.
The winners of those two games will face each other Saturday at the same sports park with a trip to the Class 5A girls state tournament the following weekend for the winner, the Region IV-5A champion.
It’s Memorial’s first regional semifinal trip since 2015 and third trip in program history, also reaching this round in 2014.
McAllen Memorial is in the early stages of a talented youth movement that the Valley’s soccer aficionados have been talking about in recent years. Mejia and Kaiser have had the “star” attribute attached to their names well before reaching high school. Last year, Mejia — then a freshman — was named The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Newcomer of the Year and shared the District 31-5A newcomer award with McHi’s Julianna Millin.
Kaiser began the year as a question mark for the Mustangs, recovering from a left leg injury that her parents refused to put a return date on. Many people thought she may be out her entire freshman year. Instead, she missed five district games and still finished the regular season with 30 goals (eighth in the Valley, fourth in District 31-5A) and 13 assists in 13 district games.
“Mom and dad first, coach second,” said the head coach, in his 16th year at the helm. “Our thought was if she comes back, great, but only if she is cleared. We’re not gonna say it’s going to be this date, and when we went to the doctor we were anticipating ‘not yet.’ But she was very dedicated and anxious to be a Mustang and didn’t miss a day in rehab. She did extra at times.”
Without being able to play in the preseason and with a non-stop rough District 31-5A schedule, Kaiser said she was taken off-guard a little by the style of play she suddenly was thrust into the middle of. She did what she could from the bench, working to keep team morale high — but, of course, she wanted to be on the field to help, not from the sideline.
“That first game we came out great, but it took a few games for me to say, ‘OK, this is how it’s going to be,’ so I struggled a bit,” Kaiser said. “But after a couple games we got into the groove of things and started connecting.
“I had never played at a level where it was this aggressive and it was a shock to me. A bit scary at first.”
A grueling 18-game district season in which there were six or seven playoff-caliber teams created a long grind for teams to fight for a playoff position.
Mejia knocked in 23 goals (sixth in District 31-5A) and dished out 10 assists in 17 district games, and the two seemed to connect through telepathic communication, taking turns at having big games. There were also 20 combined goals from senior Alaniz-Choy and freshman Rihanna Rodriguez, and the district’s stingiest defense in goals allowed, led by Sofia Davila and Ella Salazar and a trio of keepers.
“Their chemistry is undeniable, and that goes with them playing outside of Memorial as well,” Coach Kaiser said. “When you’re on the same page with someone that has the ability to put the ball where you want it to be, well, that’s fun and it’s nice to watch. That’s the relationship they have — they know what the other wants and that’s a process.
“They are anxious to help the other shine, and that’s not only unselfish but it’s a team-first attitude.”
Mejia and Kaiser played against each other before being a part of the same club and high school teams, squaring off in the McAllen Youth Soccer Association. That’s when the “future stars” tags began following them.
“We are all working on becoming better players and working hard as a group,” Mejia said. “But Kennedy coming was just a blessing for us. I think she’s going to be the greatest player the Valley will ever see. She is just a beast on the field. Her coming in helped our team because she can just put the ball in the back of the net against anyone.
“We’re growing (as a team), and the way we believe and our work ethic is why we’re here.”
Coach Kaiser said the two previous trips to the Sweet 16, losses to San Antonio Reagan and O’Connor, were eye-opening experiences and helped the program map out a blueprint that has led to this weekend.
“We were 5A back then, when there was no 6A,” coach said. “It changed our direction as far as what we knew to expect and how we were going to make it out of the Valley in the future. We had to compete with bigger, faster and stronger girls — and technical girls, too.
“We’ve been working but it has taken a while, but we’ve been preparing for the upstate teams so it’s great to be back. It’s something you’re always working toward, these special times, and this has been a special year.”