By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
PORT ISABEL — The girls soccer program at Port Isabel may have a brief history, but it’s a UIL sport showing promise.
The Lady Tarpons are fielding a team for only the third year, yet they’ve participated in the state playoffs during each of the previous two seasons under coach Jesus Cardenas.
“I’m very proud of our girls, they’ve been stepping up,” said Cardenas, now in his third season of guiding the team. “Hopefully we can tie up some loose ends and get a victory in our next game.
“I think we’re playing a lot better offensively,” he added. “From the midfield forward, we’re doing a good job of generating plays and keeping possession of the ball. We still have to work on finishing the way we should. We’re missing too many shots.”
Last year, the Lady Tarpons finished third in District 32-4A with a 6-4 record. They had gone 7-5 and wound up fourth in district in 2014 as a first-year squad.
The Port Isabel girls are still waiting for their first playoff win, and who knows? Maybe this could be their year.
“I have high hopes for us this season,” said Felicia Calo, a senior defender on the right side. “I feel we’re going to go beyond the first round. This team is a family, and I’ve noticed we have a lot more passion. We work together and we get through things when we get upset, so I feel those are things that are going to help us be strong in the playoffs.
“It would be a great experience for us to move past the first round,” Calo added. “It would give our coach a chance to say that he took a bunch of rookies and turned them into something great. It would also make us, the players, feel great about each other, too, because we’ve worked together, not as individuals but as a team, to get there.”
Going into Tuesday’s 32-4A game at home against La Feria at 6 p.m., the Lady Tarpons are 3-2 with nine points and looking good for another trip to the postseason. The Lady Tarpons’ match Tuesday at Tarpon Stadium will be followed by the Port Isabel boys facing Progreso at 8 p.m. in another 32-4A match. Actually, it will be a tripleheader with a boys junior varsity match scheduled prior to the Lady Tarpons’ game.
Besides Calo, among the other players contributing to the team’s success are stopper-midfielder Susana Torres and midfielders Jennifer Martinez and Celia Garza.
“I think we can do a lot,” said Torres, a sophomore. “It feels really good (to play on the team). We all get along and we talk to each other (during games). I feel we didn’t do enough of that last year.
“When we’re talking to each other we can work together and make (better) passes,” she added.
Added Martinez, also a sophomore, “It’s fun (to play on this team). We work hard every day and we communicate — that’s what counts a lot and makes things work. We just have to keep working hard and score as much as we can.”
Garza is grateful for the chance to be a member of the squad as a freshman.
“Actually, I was nervous at first, but now I’m really happy I’m playing soccer again,” Garza said. “I’m excited about it. Even though we may have some hardships, we get through them, we keep on going, and that’s what makes (us) a team and a family.
“I don’t know how other people may feel, but I’m honored (to play for the Lady Tarpons),” she added. “I know we’re going to build up, increase our confidence and get to the top.”