NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
ELSA — When the playoffs started last season, Veronica Dougherty and McAllen Rowe were at home, not able to continue their season past the end of the district play.
The Warriors went 4-8 in District 30-6A to miss the playoffs, snapping a 10-year streak. Even though Rowe had a young squad, Dougherty didn’t take the omission lightly. She didn’t hesitate when asked about the toughest part of her high school career.
“Definitely missing the playoffs,” Dougherty, the team’s only senior, said. “I know that was my heartbreak because it was my junior year, and I know it was a heartbreak not only for myself but for the team, as well. I made that my personal mission to not let that happen again.”
A championship attitude is something she hopes she can pass on to her teammates at Rowe.
On the club soccer circuit, Dougherty was a part of the STX Dynamo U17 2016 National Presidents Cup team that won a national championship. At the time, Dougherty was 16, preparing for her junior year of high school. The team included plenty of top Valley talent, like Sharyland High’s Kaitie Watson, McAllen High’s Westyn Henderson and even one of her current teammates.
“I played with STX Houston Dynamo, and it’s given me a huge benefit,” Dougherty said. “We were a younger team in an upper division, just to get exposure to the older girls like how we do in high school.”
She’s helped the Warriors to two strong tournaments to kick off the season, scoring goals from the defensive midfield position as Rowe reached the semifinals of the Laredo Border Olympics tournament and the final of the Edcouch-Elsa tournament.
She scored the game-winning goal against RGVSports.com preseason No. 1 Harlingen South on Friday in the Edcouch-Elsa Tournament, making a long run and putting herself in position to tap home the centering feed.
“It has taken me a few years to develop that,” Dougherty said of her ability to join the attack from her distant position. “After a while, it just turned into a habit where I can bring (the ball) up the field and help my teammates.”
Rowe has a wealth of players who can put the ball in the net. Emily Morin, a junior forward, was just 15 years old when she played a role in the STX Dynamo’s 2016 title.
“It feels good to have that experience and play on the field and show and be a little bit more creative, because in club you’re a little more face-paced,” Morin said after her team advanced to the Edcouch-Elsa championship game.
She’s flanked by freshmen Sabina Sanchez and Alexa Garza on the wings. The newcomers have quickly shown the ability to score at the varsity level.
Rowe is happy with its mix of youngsters on a junior-heavy roster that includes talent like Celeste Narbaez, the third captain of the team alongside Morin and Dougherty. All three captains were first-team all-district selections in 2017.
“We have a lot of new faces and a lot of new talent,” Daugherty said. “It’s exciting to see the possible situations that can happen and how we can advance forward as a team.”
The Warriors hope to stay on the attack and make sure goalkeeper Hethyr Moore is rarely tested, as was the case in the win over Harlingen South.
Rowe coach John Martinez credits his leadership group for keeping newcomers in check but also pushing them.
“We get new blood that comes in, people kind of testing the waters with certain things,” Martinez said. “Those girls have done a good job of leading, being true leaders. Yeah, we only have one senior, but we have a lot of girls that have played a lot of soccer games in their career.”
If all goes according to plan, Rowe will be battling for seeding and not just postseason qualification at the end of the year.
“We got together after our season and made a pact we’re not going to let that happen again,” Martinez said. “We’ve changed a lot since last year. It’s a tribute to the effort in the offseason.”
In 2018, the Warriors are expected to produce more chatter. If promises are kept, they’ll produce more wins, too.
“We didn’t communicate as much last year, and this year we decided that needs to change, and our mentality needs to change,” Emily Morin said. “We decided to change that up, and it’s working right now. It’s real good.”
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