By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
The Porter Cowboys are considered the Valley’s best soccer team for a reason.
Open-play goals and dominance in possession led the Porter Cowboys to a 4-1 win over the Alamo Heights Mules in a Region IV-5A semifinal match Friday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.
The Cowboys main goal for the night was the retain possession for as long as possible, which they did for the majority of the match. Porter’s ball retention kept Alamo Heights from getting a shot on goal in the first half and only one all match.
“I’m really impressed with the way the team responded to the adversity,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “At first when we started the game, our main goal was to keep possession of the ball and don’t let them borrow the ball because I knew they practiced their set plays a lot. They’re very dangerous when it comes to set plays, corner kicks, throw ins and stuff. We don’t have the size. They’re bigger.
“We ended up having to make sure we kept possession of the ball, control the tempo and if we had the opportunities, we wanted to make at least 50 percent of them.”
The Cowboys, ranked No. 1 in RGVSports.com’s soccer poll, scored four goals on seven shots on target.
Porter scored the go-ahead goal during the 62nd minute when Enrique Soto’s cross from near the left touchline found Ricardo Vidal flying in the box.
Vidal volleyed the ball home for the 2-1 lead.
Soto’s assist was a part of his strong game for the Cowboys, which Espitia said didn’t start so well for the senior.
“At the beginning of the game he was struggling to adapt to their style of play because they were not giving many space,” Espitia said. “We took him out. He didn’t look right. After feeling the bench a little, he came out and did what he does best, creating opportunities through the flank, opening up the field and centering the ball.”
He was also involved in Porter’s first goal of the match, scoring on a header from Marco Don Juan’s corner kick during the second minute.
“It was a just a lucky shot. Thanks for God,” Soto said. “We thank God for everything. First, we always think God, and that’s why I was very lucky.”
Porter scored twice in the following eight minutes after the second goal, getting a brace when Alexis Armendariz and Uriel Sepulveda hooked up on a 1-2 play that Armendariz knocked between the posts.
Esteban Mata scored the Cowboys fourth goal on with less than 10 minutes to play.
The Mules came in the second half with a stronger attack and leveled the match with a goal by Travis Baer in the the 56th minute that made sure that Alamo Heights coach Bruce Fink, who’s retiring at the end of the season, didn’t end his 32-year career at Alamo Heights with a shutout.
“It’s hard to believe (it’s my final match),” Fink said. “I really don’t know what to say for that.”
Alamo Heights continued to threaten, but Vidal’s goal killed the Mules momentum and it was all Porter from there.
“Midway through the second half, they started gaining a little bit more confidence and started attacking, especially when they tied the game,” Espitia said. “I was a little bit worried because I didn’t want them to start implementing their style. We wanted to control the tempo, so we had to make some adjustments in the midfield and it worked for us.”
Joshua McKinney covers high school sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @joshuabvherald.