BROWNSVILLE – While Smithson Valley put an end to a memorable McAllen Memorial season on Friday, it also opened the door into the next chapter for a young team that could be back, for even more.
Sabrina Taber scored twice and the undefeated Rangers cruised to a 6-0 win over the Mustangs in the second UIL Region IV-5A girls soccer semifinal Friday at Brownsville Sports Park. Smithson Valley will play at 10 a.m. today for the Region IV-5A championship against McAllen High, 2-1 OT winners over Leander on Friday, also at the Brownsville Sports Park.
The score is not indicative of what level Memorial played but moreso that of Smithson Valley, a team that has run roughshod over its competition all season, including an 8-2 drubbing over another perennial power, Boerne-Champion, in the previous round.
“We had a great season and we stacked up well against teams to make this playoff run,” McAllen Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser said. “It has been tough for every team that has played (Smithson Valley) this year and we were no different than any of those teams.
“They are a complete team and we don’t see that very often. We see some dynamic players on the teams you’re up against but they have no weaknesses and that’s tough to play against. I think we did good in the first half but they’re a good team and they just kept grinding away.”
The Memorial roster is loaded with 16 players who are juniors or younger. That includes five freshmen and juniors, and six sophomores. This was the first regional semifinal trip for Memorial, the second-place team out of District 31-5A, since 2015.
The Mustangs finished the regular season as one of the highest scoring teams in the Rio Grande Valley at any classification, while also putting together maybe the stingiest defense also in the Valley.
Memorial trailed 2-0 at the half.
“It’s great to be back. This was a program builder and the girls want to work hard when you’re able to make it this far because they want to get back. You can dangle that bait out there for the younger kids too – next ear, what are we going to do, how are we going to get there?
“We learned a lesson, now we apply it and then find ourselves in a better situation. It’s a tough lesson but those are the ones you get the most out of.”