BROWNSVILLE – The soccer world stopped for what seemed like forever as the ball rolled toward the goal.
There was no goalkeeper or defender nearby – they were watching from ground level, literally – and the nearest striker, McAllen High’s Milan Diaz, wasn’t close enough for one more touch.
She didn’t have to be. Diaz punched the ball past Leander’s last defender and a charging goalkeeper from about 30 yards out. She continued to follow the ball but was caught up in a melee where both the keeper and the defender collided and/or fell to the ground just outside the penalty box.
The ball continued on its path and, with 2:07 remaining in the first overtime period, found its way into the back of the net, giving McHi a thrilling 2-1 victory in the UIL Region IV-5A semifinal matchup on a soggy, overcast and cool Good Friday morning at the Brownsville Sports Park.
The win sends the Bulldogs to the Region IV-5A championship at 10 a.m. Saturday against unbeaten powerhouse Smithson Valley, which defeated McAllen Memorial 6-0 in the other regional semifinal.
The goal, Diaz’s second of the game, sent the large contingent of McHi fans into a frenzy until officials temporarily waved off the score to discuss whether the Diaz had fouled the defender before the goal, causing her to fall.
After about a four-minute discussion, officials called the goal good and the celebration continued.
McHi, which won the District 31-5A championship for the eighth straight year, returns to a regional final for the second time, also accomplishing the feat in 2018 and advancing to the state semifinals. They are the only girls soccer program in the Valley to advance that far.
“It felt like eternity in my mind,” Diaz said about the game-inning goal. “I saw the ball running and I was like I’ve got to run after it just in case. Then the girl cut in front of me but I had to keep running. I had all the space and I had to keep going. Then the goalie came out I thought this could be it.”
Diaz saw the keeper widen her stance, giving her the perfect opportunity for a meg, when a player pokes the ball between another player’s legs.
“I poked it through and saw it going straight to the goal and that’s when everything happened,” Diaz said. “When I was running, my toe hit her heel and she tripped. But this is a huge win. I hope we can continue this.”
Unlike during district play and the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Bulldogs weren’t able to exert their will and ball control style of play. The Lions were extremely fast, often cutting in front of McHi players and they were the ones with control of the ball more often than the Bulldogs.
The McHi defense, however, other than for one goal with 2:42 remaining in the first half, was maybe bendable but certainly not breakable, not even close. Maybe it was from playing an extremely physical and relentless district schedule, but the Bulldogs transformed from finesse and control to physical and relentless. The Bulldogs pushed back, sacrificed their limbs with numerous slide tackles and steals, and refused to be bullied, instead showing they could hold their own with finesse or force.
Either way, the outcome was familiar – a 22nd straight win.
“That was just passion and commitment,” McHi head coach Patrick Arney said. “We knew we weren’t going to get a lot of chances but we played tough and took the chances we had. The girls played tougher throughout the game. It was nice to see them play a different style. Leander is an excellent team and they are quick and young. We did what we had to do.”
Diaz’s first goal came following a header from Julianna Millin from a cross by Savannah Ruiz. The ball bounced precisely in between two Leander defenders and about three steps in front of Diaz who quickly stabbed the ball into the top right corner of the net before six defenders in the box could react with 38:16 remaining.
The final minutes pitted a frantic Leander offense desperately looking to score against a McHi defense, led by Haley Nixon, Maisen Dubrule, Emma Lopez and Karla Paredes. The defense continued to harass the Lions’ offense and looked at home, time and again sending the ball to midfield and beyond en route to the victory.
“We just needed to regroup, communicate and do what we’ve done all year to get here,” Dubrule said. “We deserve to be here. We don’t want it to end.”