By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Parity ruled on the first day of the inaugural Southmost Classic boys soccer tournament as the Lopez Lobos were the only ones out of 10 participating teams to win both of their matches on Thursday.
The tournament features two five-team pools with Lopez and Porter as the tournament hosts.
The Lobos triumphed over Harlingen South 3-1 and La Joya High 5-1.
“I think the first game (against Harlingen South) we started a little slow, but we picked it up (against La Joya High),” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “Hopefully that’s the way we’re going to play from now on. What we did in the second game is what we want to see with us pressuring the ball. More than anything, we’re asking the players for intensity with the ball and without the ball.
“I loved the intensity we had in the second game and the way we capitalized on our scoring opportunities,” Escandon added.
Pool play continues today beginning at 10 a.m. at Porter and Lopez. At the end of today’s pool play, the top two teams in each pool advance to Saturday’s 10 a.m. semifinals. The championship match is scheduled at noon Saturday at Porter.
In their tournament opener Thursday, Lopez led 2-0 at halftime and won 3-1 against the Hawks. Scoring goals in the opener for the Lobos were Miguel Cruz, Jafet Morales and Daniel Casanova.
Against La Joya High later in the day, the Lobos led 4-0 at the half and won 5-1. Jose “Chevy” Echavarria scored three goals and Morales two against the Coyotes.
Meanwhile, Porter, playing on its home field just like Lopez, opened Thursday with a 3-0 triumph against Edinburg North before leading McAllen High 1-0 and ending up with a 1-1 tie.
Against Edinburg North, the Cowboys led 2-0 at halftime. Scoring the goals in the opener for Porter were Edward Rodriguez, Agustin Pizano and Brandon Cantu. Against McAllen High, the score was 0-0 at halftime before Porter went ahead 1-0 on a penalty kick by Harambe Garcia. Later in the second half, McAllen High failed to convert a penalty-kick opportunity before eventually finding the net to pull even 1-1 with the Cowboys.
“We knew the teams at this tournament are at a very competitive level, so it was going to be tough,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “We were fortunate to start off with a good win against Edinburg North. We took advantage of our opportunities.
“Against McHi, we were winning, but then we almost lost because of our lack of experience due to our young team,” Espitia added. “We couldn’t control the game (with the lead). It got pretty intense there toward the end (against McAllen High).
“The best thing is we’re doing well with a young team. We’re lacking a little bit of experience and size, but soccer-wise, I believe we’ll continue to improve.”
In other matches Thursday at Porter, Los Fresnos and Laredo LBJ tied 2-2, LBJ defeated Edinburg North 3-1 and McAllen High downed Los Fresnos 2-1.
In Thursday’s other three games at Lopez, Laredo United South defeated Laredo United 1-0, Harlingen South edged United South 2-1 and United topped La Joya High 2-0.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess