McALLEN — Julianna Millin knew she had to get a shot off quickly. After taking a pass from Brynn Hornbuckle near the top of the box, Millin tap danced with the ball for a split second, turned and saw McAllen Memorial’s defense charging at her.
She fired.
Then, she turned around a la Stephen Curry and slowly walked toward midfield.
Then the ball went in.
It may not have been in that exact order, but it was close. The goal gave McHi a 3-2 lead with 12:38 remaining. The freshman sensation scored again a few minutes later, and McHi took control of District 31-5A with an exciting, fast-paced and rough 4-2 victory over Memorial on Friday at Joe Boxer Stadium.
“I knew the game wasn’t over after that (first) goal,” said Millin, who now has 21 goals in 11 district matches. “I knew going into the game I would need to have a quick release because of their defensive pressure.
The Bulldogs have won six straight district title and very few games during that span have matched the significance of Friday’s game for both teams.
“I think at the end of the game everybody was trying to keep a hold of the ball,” Millin said about her second goal. “We had one fast break where Gabby (Gonzalez) passed me the ball. In my head, I was making sure I executed that play to secure the win. That’s what we did.
“It feels great. I can almost taste that trophy.”
In a game that was as much a wrestling match due to its physicality as it was a track meet with nothing but sprints, the McHi wins gives the Bulldogs a 9-1-1 record and 28 points. McAllen Rowe (7-1-2) moved into a tie for second after a win over Sharyland Pioneer, while Sharyland High’s win over PSJA Southwest gives them 24 points. Now, the battle sits for second, third and fourth, for the meantime. McHi and Sharyland play, while McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe battle, next Friday.
Late during the second half, McHi goalkeeper Alison Tawil kept Memorial at bay. Sofia Alaniz-Choy avenged each of the first two McHi’s goals with a goal of her own for the Mustangs and looked for the hat trick. During a corner kick, Alaniz-Choy positioned herself perfectly to head the ball in high. Tawil, however, leapt, stretched and at the top of her jump stretched just a bit more to knock that goal attempt away.
“When I’m playing, I don’t think about what’s happening next. I go with the flow and my body knows what to do,” Tawil said. “I’ve been playing goalie since third grade and it’s just instinct. I just visualized it and got myself prepared.”
Mia Reyna scored McHi’s first goal while Brianna Claudio scored the second as the teams traded scores until Millin’s first one of the match.
“It popped out — a deflection — and I saw the goal was open,” Reyna said of her goal that opened the game’s scoring. “It’s great. It all comes down to who wants it more. This was very physical.”