BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Mission High coach Christos Barouhas vividly remembers how last season ended. He and his Eagles went west for the bi-district round of the playoffs to meet Laredo Alexander — a team Barouhas believed Mission was not able to go toe-to-toe with. Losing the game by three goals confirmed his opinion.
Barouhas thought his team came in to Thursday’s playoff game against Laredo LBJ with a different mindset.
“We were nervous and made a lot of mistakes last year,” Barouhas said. “Tonight was a different story. We controlled the game, but we knew they (Laredo LBJ) pressured us a lot. We had to score when we had our chances, but we didn’t.”
Mission High lost to Laredo LBJ 2-0 in the program’s first home playoff game since the renovation of Tom Landry Stadium.
The Eaglers were in attack mode throughout the first half, spearheaded by junior forward and Mission’s top goal scorer Allen Palafox. With no score in the 10th minute, Palafox scampered behind the Wolves defense and attempted a line shot that went inches wide of the post.
The Eagles (23-11-2, 9-3) had a few more shots on goal that they couldn’t convert before the end of a scoreless half. Mission High controlled the tempo in the second half, but Laredo LBJ squeezed two scoring chances out of the Eagles, and both were successful. The first Laredo LBJ goal came in the 50th minute, and the second came after Mission High goalkeeper Gabriel Castillo blocked one attempt but couldn’t recover quickly enough to clear the ball, giving the Wolves their two-goal lead in the 73rd minute.
“We didn’t play our best,” Palafox said. “I don’t know if we were asleep, but we weren’t giving 100 percent. We should have played more together, worked as a team and played with more heart, but we didn’t.”
“We didn’t want it to end this way,” Mission High senior Irvin Cortez said. “First round, and we’re out. That’s not what we wanted. We had been playing well these last few games. We concentrated, and we were motivated to win, but things happen. We had our chances in the first and second half, and we didn’t make them. They had two chances the whole game, and they made them. Sometimes, soccer is like that.”
Mission High’s final game of the season meant the last time the team’s two senior captains — defender Juan Fraga and sweeper Cortez — will suit up as Eagles.
“It’s been a great journey these four years,” Cortez said. “I love my team. All the seniors who left before left a mark on my life. They taught me true friendship. They taught me to stay strong even if things didn’t go our way.”
“This is going to be hard, because they were great captains,” Palafox said. “They made us work hard. It’ll be difficult to find guys like that for next year.”
Laredo LBJ (15-8-4) will advance to the area round to face PSJA Southwest. The Javelinas shut out the Harlingen Cardinals 4-0 on Thursday.