By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
There’s a problem in District 32-6A girls soccer this season, if it can be considered such a thing.
There are just too many good teams in the district, as evidenced by the RGVSports.com top 10 rankings.
Behind top-rated McAllen Memorial of District 30-6A in the latest Rio Grande Valley rankings are No. 2 Lopez, No. 3 Los Fresnos, No. 5 Harlingen South, No. 7 Hanna and No. 8 Rivera, all members of 32-6A. Of those five, only four teams will make the playoffs from the district, so at least one of them will be disappointed in late March when postseason berths are handed out.
In the meantime, each night of action in 32-6A this season seems to offer at least one key matchup with an important bearing on the district race.
At 7:15 p.m. Friday, the key match in 32-6A has the Lopez Lady Lobos playing at the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles. Both are 3-0 in district, so the winner can claim sole possession of the district lead.
Lopez is coming off Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Rivera on penalty kicks, and Hanna prevailed over Brownsville Veterans Memorial 4-2 the same night.
“I expect an intense, strategic and exciting game for the fans to be a part of,” first-year Hanna coach Jose Morales said of his team’s match Friday. “Lopez is physical and has a couple of good ball-handlers. They are coming off last year’s great season, and although they do not have some of their key players from that team returning, they have managed to stay on top of district play so far.
“On the other hand,” Morales added, “my staff and I have been working diligently to have our girls adapt to our scheme of play so that they can make progress from last year’s performance. Our girls have adapted well and are understanding what we expect them to do in different scenarios. They are more capable of exploiting what the other teams offer.
“We will bring a strong offensive attack with players that have sacrificed and played their hearts out while supporting the defensive side. We have a multi-faceted and extremely intelligent team that is becoming more cohesive as district continues.”
In other important 32-6A matches, Los Fresnos played host to South in a makeup game Thursday and South is scheduled to go against Rivera at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
““Yes, every game in this district is tough and exciting so far, and teams have gotten better,” Rivera coach Thomas Brashear said. “It is exactly what I thought it would be.”
32-5A SHOWDOWN
The Pace Lady Vikings put their District 32-5A-leading 3-0 record on the line at home against Porter (2-1) at 6 p.m. Friday.
The Pace girls are coming off Tuesday’s 2-0 win at PSJA High and are led by Kryssie Rivera with five goals so far in district and eight on the season.
“I see the girls playing my system, they are following my instructions, and overall, they have the idea of how I want them to play,” Pace coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “Concerning the match against Porter, I see it as an interesting district game. Just like all district games, we are taking them very seriously. The girls are focused and eager to win. They are mentally prepared to win on and off the field.”
Also on Tuesday, Porter prevailed against PSJA Southwest 2-1 on penalty kicks.
“It’s going to be a fun game (against Pace),” Porter coach Abraham Gracia said. “Anytime Brownsville schools play each other, it’s always very competitive.”
LOOKING AHEAD
There are some interesting matchups involving area girls teams next Tuesday as well. On that night in 32-6A, it’s Rivera at Los Fresnos and Hanna at Harlingen South, both matches starting at 7:15 p.m.
In 32-5A on Tuesday, a key game for the girls will be Pace at Donna North at 6 p.m.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.