By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
DONNA — Rivera just found a way to win.
The Raiders took an early lead but had to fend off a feisty La Joya Juarez-Lincoln squad after playing through regulation and overtime tied at a goal apiece.
Rivera edged the Huskies 4-3 in a penalty shootout to win their Class 6A regional quarterfinal match 2-1 on Tuesday at Bennie LaPrade Stadium.
Rivera goalkeeper Jesus Zaragoza blocked the final penalty shot, setting off a celebration on the Raiders’ sideline to seal the victory. Rivera moves on to a regional semifinal Friday at BrownsvilleSportsPark.
“My team kept me calm and everything goes to God, and the credit to us,” Zaragozasaid. “My team is the reason why I stopped those two penalties, and they’re the reason why we’re here. I knew I needed to stop the next one and the next one. I needed to keep going for my team.”
Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said his first-year varsity goalie had confidence from his teammates.
“The kids told him, ‘You’re going to win the game for us,’ and that’s the kind of confidence someone needs going into this type of situation,” Garcia said. “All year long, God has been in front of us. I told the kids during penalty kicks we were going to win. You can just feel it. I don’t know how to explain it.”
The teams were knotted at one goal apiece at the half, and it stayed that way during regulation and overtime despite the best efforts from both squads.
The Huskies put up a gritty performance, but they didn’t want the game to be decided by penalty kicks.
“It came down to this and we lost. It hurts,” La Joya Juarez Lincoln coach Victor Ramos said. “The kids played great, you couldn’t ask for more. They preformed at a higher level, and they’ll learn from this loss.”
Rivera went on the offensive attack early and scored quickly. After a throw-in by Isidro ‘Chelin’ Martinez, forward Eliseo Ortiz scored during the fifth minute after he found a crease in the defense and put the ball past La Joya Juarez-Lincoln goalie Kevin Quiroz.
It was a very physical match throughout, and each team didn’t back down.
Rivera had eight shots on goal during the first half, including one that hit the top crossbar. The Huskies had their scoring opportunities, too, but didn’t capitalize on a Raiders defense that was stout and continued to shut them out.
That was until just before the end of the first half.
After Zaragoza blocked a Huskies shot, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln midfielder Angel Garcia was right there to put it past the outstretched goalie and tie the game during the 40th minute just before the whistle sounded at the end of the half.
“I saw the clock with 16 seconds left, and I thought nothing is going to happen,” Garcia said. “There was no communication between the two defenders. I think defensively we did a good job, they had no clear shots. But it was one of those games where one mistake is all it takes. From now on, that’s the way it is. It’s the playoffs, and that’s all it takes.”
The loss ends the Huskies’ season, but Ramos was happy with the what he saw from his team this season.
“We see our kids growing up through the season,” he said. “Unfortunately we lost this time, but I’m sure we’ll be ready for next year.”
With the win, the Raiders stay unbeaten on the season. Garcia said he was at ease during the intense shootout because this year has been something special and that his team wasn’t finished yet.
“I was calm because I knew we were going to win,” he said. “God is with us, and we are a team of destiny. We are, we feel that way this year.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.