By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Leading the Lopez Lady Lobos to what they hope will be another district soccer championship are team captains Samantha Ruiz, Christie Escandon, Gloria Ortegon and Michell Salinas.
All four players were part of the Lady Lobos’ 2014 District 32-5A title squad that went unbeaten in conference and advanced to the Region IV-5A Tournament in San Antonio for the first time. The Lopez girls finished No. 1 in the Rio Grande Valley that season.
““It’s a blessing to play on this team,” said Escandon, a senior forward/midfielder and starter since she was a freshman. “We all work together and we all have the same goals. Our minds are set on one thing (to advance deep into the playoffs as district champions), and we’re going to go for it.
““We’re working hard and not giving up,” added Escandon, the daughter of Lopez boys coach Amadeo Escandon who is coming off an injury that forced her to miss her entire junior season of soccer. “We know to just keep going and going and never stop.”
This year, as leaders of District 32-6A with an 8-1 record and 23 points, the Lady Lobos appear quite capable of capturing another championship.
Five second-round games remain on the 32-6A schedule. The first of them is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against the Rivera Lady Raiders at Sams Memorial Stadium. It will be preceded by the Lopez-Rivera boys match at 5:30 p.m.
Lady Lobos coach Alex Macias is grateful for the contributions of his veteran team captains.
“These (four) girls are very experienced because they’ve been playing on the varsity since they were freshmen,” Macias said. “They went to the regional tournament two years ago, and they’re just as hungry as everyone else to go back (to that level of the playoffs).
“It’s their drive,” Macias added. “They do not want to give in, and I think they kind of proved that against Harlingen South.”
Against South on Saturday at Brownsville Sports Park, the Lady Lobos trailed 2-0 after 15 minutes and 3-2 just two minutes into the second half before rallying to win 5-3 against the third-place Lady Hawks (6-3, 18 points). The victory kept second-place Los Fresnos (7-2, 21 points) from jumping ahead of Lopez in the 32-6A standings.
“It’s a great honor to be playing with these girls,” said Salinas, a junior central defender and three-year starter. “They’re my family. I trust them with everything. If something happens, I know they have my back.
“I see us playing like we did before (in 2014),” Salinas added. “We never gave up that year, and now we’re doing pretty much the same thing. We want to be up there again and be recognized (as one of the Valley’s top teams).”
Added Ortegon, a senior midfielder on the wing and a three-year starter, “Everyone on this team puts their part into it, and we just have fun out there.
“There’s a responsibility (as captain) to keep the team together and working hard so we can get to where we want to go,” she added. “We know every game is tough, but we also know that if everyone puts in their part, we can win. That’s why I love these girls.”
One of the players doing her part by controlling the ball in the middle and scoring is Ruiz, a senior center midfielder and four-year starter. Ruiz scored the Lady Lobos’ first three goals Saturday against South to initiate their comeback.
“I’m just proud that everyone on this team is who they are and how they contribute (to our success),” Ruiz said. “The way everyone contributes is a big part of why we play the way we play.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess