By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Lopez Lobos know the feeling well.
Tuesday’s 2-1 victory at Brownsville Veterans Memorial enabled the Lobos to finish first in district again in soccer.
This time the Lobos are District 32-6A champions. They’ve added another trophy to the recent ones they won in District 32-5A in 2009, 2011 and 2014.
“It’s an honor to win another district title,” said German Vera, Lopez’s senior defensive midfielder. “We feel that winning this game will motivate us to do well in the playoffs.
“We give all the glory to God,” Vera added. “We’re a team made up of faith and we’re coming strong.”
Brownsville Veterans and Lopez came into the match tied for the district lead at 11-2 with 34 points. It was the final day of competition on the 32-6A schedule.
Depending on the results of other 32-6A matches, there may be a play-in game to get to the postseason later this week.
Still, after Tuesday’s game at Brownsville Veterans, the Lobos (12-2, 37 points) know they’ll go into next week’s playoffs as the No. 1 seed from 32-6A and the Chargers (11-3, 34 points) will be the district’s No. 2 seed. Their bi-district opponents from District 31-6A have yet to be determined.
The match was an evenly contested battle the entire way.
Lopez went up 1-0 with a little more than six minutes left in the half on a goal by Ulysses Ortegon that was kicked in off the deflection of a teammate’s shot. The Chargers answered one minute later when a long pass from midfield made by Estuardo Teran bounced in to send the match into intermission deadlocked at 1.
The Lobos tallied their second goal thanks to Benito Cazares’ short-range shot from the left side a little more than three minutes into the second half. It stood up as the eventual game-winner.
“Our players played good enough to win the game, but we just didn’t pull it out,” said Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez, whose team beat Lopez 2-0 last month at Sams Memorial Stadium during the first round of district. “We wanted this. My guys played their hearts out and I’m real proud of them. I can’t be disappointed with them because I believe they left everything on the field.”
When the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock and the Lobos were district champions again, a celebration ensued on the Lopez sideline with coach Amadeo Escandon getting drenched with water along with assistant Abraham Torres.
“This feeling (of winning district) never gets old,” Escandon said. “We owe it to God because at the beginning of the season He put it in our minds to do this. Thanks to Him, we’re here, and it never gets old.
“Also, we have terrific players,” he added. “They play with heart and they have a passion for soccer.”
Jose Echevarria, Lopez’s sophomore midfielder, said his team had been looking forward to Tuesday’s rematch since losing to the Chargers 2-0 during the district’s first round.
“It could have gone either way tonight because Brownsville Veterans is a very tough team,” Echevarria said. “I think they’re going to go far in the playoffs just like us. We’ll probably meet them again.”