By ROY HESS | Staff Writer
It took a comeback effort for the Hanna Golden Eagles to advance to the regional quarterfinals of the Class 6A soccer playoffs.
The Eagles trailed 2-1 at halftime against Laredo United South during Tuesday’s area-round playoff game in Roma.
With Miguel Payan, one of their senior captains, sitting out a red card against United South, the Hanna players were determined to keep the season alive for him, and that’s just what they did.
Scoring goals for the Eagles on Tuesday were Kevin Ochoa, Aldo Gonzalez and Marko Garibay. Garibay’s tally with a little more than 22 minutes remaining put Hanna ahead for good 3-2 against United South.
The Eagles now play Harlingen South in Friday’s 8 p.m. regional quarterfinal at Brownsville Sports Park, site of next week’s Region IV-6A Tournament.
It will be a playoff doubleheader as the South girls go against McAllen High in another regional quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Friday at Brownsville Sports Park.
“It is very special to be at this stage of the playoffs, but we are not satisfied,” Hanna coach Reyes Prado said. “Our guys want to keep practicing and playing for as long as possible.
“God willing, we want to show our school, community and fans how proud we feel to represent them,” he added. “Our team wants to make history this year. I am so proud of how humble and dedicated this group is. It is an honor leading these young men.”
Hanna opened the playoffs with a 3-0 win at Edinburg High last Thursday in bi-district.
South was the District 32-6A runner-up behind district champion Rivera. Hanna finished in third place.
During district play, South lost at Hanna 2-1 on Feb. 15 and beat the Eagles 4-2 at home on March 19.
REMATCH SET
The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers are playing the Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial Eagles for the third straight season in the Class 5A playoffs.
The Chargers advanced to the regional quarterfinals with Monday’s 5-1 area-round triumph against Laredo Cigarroa at Corpus Christi’s Cabaniss Field, site of next week’s Region IV-5A Tournament.
The Chargers are returning to Cabaniss for their regional quarterfinal matchup at 8 p.m. Friday against the Eagles, who defeated La Joya Palmview 2-1 in the area round.
Brownsville Veterans is trying to reach the regional tournament for the third straight season.
“Our guys played very well on Monday (against Cigarroa),” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “Things got interesting when Cigarroa tied the game on us, but we were able to keep our composure and eventually capitalize on some (scoring) opportunities.
“We’ve had great games vs. CC Vets the last two years,” Vasquez added. “They are a solid, well-coached team, so it should make for a great matchup.”
The Chargers defeated the Eagles 2-0 last year in Mercedes in the regional quarterfinals. In 2017, the Chargers beat the Eagles 3-0 in the second round of the playoffs at Sams Memorial Stadium.
OFF TO STATE
The Jubilee Brownsville girls soccer team is playing in the Texas Charter Schools Academic & Athletic League state tournament beginning Friday in Georgetown.
The Lady Titans won three games in the playoffs to reach state, including last Saturday’s 2-1 regional championship victory against IDEA Pharr.
The Jubilee girls go against Harmony of Houston in the state semifinals on Friday in Georgetown.
ALL DONE
The soccer season came to a close in the area playoffs for four Brownsville teams Monday and Tuesday.
On Monday, the Pace girls lost to Flour Bluff 3-2 in overtime at Raymondville.
On Tuesday, the Rivera boys fell short against Laredo LBJ 3-1 in San Antonio, while the Hanna girls were edged 1-0 at McAllen High. Also, the Lopez girls suffered a 4-0 setback against Corpus Christi Veterans in Corpus Christi.
The Hanna boys and Brownsville Veterans boys are the only two teams still alive besides the Jubilee Brownsville girls.