By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
GEORGETOWN — Destiny fulfilled.
Since the beginning of the soccer season in January, Rivera coach Salvador Garcia has believed his squad was a team of destiny.
That destiny was realized Saturday night as the Raiders captured the Class 6A state championship with a 2-0 victory against Katy Cinco Ranch in the finals of the UIL state tournament at Georgetown ISD’s Birkelbach Field.
The win enabled the Raiders to complete their remarkable season with a 28-0 record.
“I’m so glad we did it,” Garcia said. “(I felt) there was a monkey on my back (after coming up short during recent seasons). Actually, it felt more like a gorilla.
“But once again, God’s timing is always perfect,” Garcia added. “There’s been a lot of disappointment with our finishes during the past two or three years, and maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. God’s timing is perfect, and this is our time. Right now, this is perfect.”
Although they had numerous scoring chances during the match that didn’t go into the net, the Raiders tallied back-to-back goals within a two-minute span midway through the opening half and made that lead stand up the rest of the way.
Cinco Ranch (22-1-4), suffering its first loss of the season, had a header go off the crossbar with 15 minutes remaining, but other than that the Cougars never really threatened.
Meanwhile, Rivera routinely worked the ball around and continuously pressured the Cougars’ defense.
“This is it, this is what we’ve been working for,” said Alexis Herrera, a senior forward for the Raiders. “We went through this game, and we did what we could. Cinco Ranch stayed with us for a while in the first half, but we were touching the ball and having more possession in the second half. That’s what got us over the top.”
The Raiders went up 1-0 during the 16th minute on a shot from approximately 12 yards out on the left side by Isidro “Chelin” Martinez, a senior attacking midfielder who was named the game’s MVP.
“Our coach told us at the beginning of the season that if we didn’t believe we could do this to leave and get off the team,” Martinezsaid. “Now here we are as state champions. It’s amazing. This was our goal from the very start.”
During the 18th minute, David Alexander added Rivera’s second goal on a shot from about 10 yards into the left corner of the net, and the Raiders had all the scoring they needed.
“This was our objective,” said Rivera’s Israel Acero, a senior defender. “We made the statement that we were capable of doing this, and that’s all.”
The Raiders defeated North Mesquite5-1 during Friday’s lightning-delayed semifinal, finishing their game just after midnight to earn their berth in Saturday’s final. Cinco Ranch advanced with a 2-1 semifinal victory over Arlington Sam Houston, also Friday.
This weekend marked Rivera’s third trip to state. The Raiders went in 2005 and 2007 but lost in the semifinals both times.
The weather cooperated with dry playing conditions throughout all of Saturday’s four games at the state tournament, but no sooner than Rivera’s game ended than the rain and lightning arrived and changed things quickly. The Raiders’ trophy presentation, normally done on the field, was moved to the shelter of a locker room.