By ROY HESS, Staff Reporter
Few soccer players ever score 50 or more goals during a season.
Brownsville Hanna’s Ana Barragan was one of the ones to do it, and she is The Brownsville Herald’s 2020 All-Metro Girls Soccer Offensive Player of the Year.
Barragan is a sophomore forward-midfielder who played for the Lady Golden Eagles for the first time in 2020 after transferring from San Marcos, where she was on the varsity as a freshman. She actually scored 51 goals this season playing for Hanna.
“This has been one of the most successful seasons I’ve had as far as goals,” she said. “It feels nice to be recognized for my efforts. I work really hard and put a lot of time, energy and love into this game.”
Eliseo Guzman, her coach at Hanna, said Barragan has made an immediate impact with the Lady Eagles.
“Ana is an amazing player that can dribble, give good passes and can score from far and close range,” Guzman said. “She also recovers a lot of balls.
“She’s a very complete athlete and is also a good friend with her teammates,” Guzman added. “I can see they have a very good bond inside and outside of the field. She came to help the team in both ways — on offense and defense as well.”
Barragan said she enjoys playing for Hanna.
“I love the camaraderie within the team,” she said. “We all support and respect each other. I also admire the spirit and type of energy my coach brings to us.
“Teamwork (is one of the best things about this team),” she added. “Soccer is not a one-player game. You have to work together to accomplish great things. Perseverance (is an important quality of this team, too). No matter what the score is, you give it 100 percent until the end of the game.
“I try to be disciplined on and off the field, and dedicated to the game, the team and our coach.”
The standout sophomore said there are a number of people to thank for helping her in her soccer career, which began when she first started playing the game at age 7. Three persons in particular to thank, she said, are her parents, Hector Barragan and Lisa Garcia, and also Luis Garza, her coach when she was younger.
“I thank my mom for her encouragement and constant support,” Barragan said. “I thank my dad for introducing me to the game and teaching me how to be a great player. Finally, thanks to Coach Garza for having a big part in my development as a player. I played for him many years, and he was a very influential coach for me.”
The Hanna girls finished fifth (4-6 with 11 points) this season in an ultra-competitive District 32-6A. Barragan believes better times are ahead for the Lady Eagles.
“We didn’t qualify for the playoffs this year, but if our team continues to put in the work, there is no doubt it can happen next year,” she said.