RGVSports.com
BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Rivera’s boys soccer team amassed a three-goal cushion by halftime to withstand San Antonio Reagan and advance to the regional final on Saturday.
Rivera will face the winner of PSJA North-San Antonio Brandeis in the Elite 8.
BOYS CLASS 5A
PSJA SOUTHWEST 4, LEANDER VANEGRIFT 1: At Corpus Christi, PSJA Southwest Javelinas boys soccer senior Michael Martin scored four goals in the team’s 4-1 win against Leander Vandegrift on Friday at Cabaniss Soccer Field in Corpus Christi.
Martin put the Javelinas on the board first with 29:55 to play in the opening half when he converted a rebound opportunity after a strong run by forward Luis Escudero.
After Vandegrift scored to tie the game before half, Martin drilled a shot from the corner of the box off a Vandegrift defender to put Southwest out in front 2-1 with 26:23 to play. His third goal came on a shot over the keeper’s head from the top of the box with 11:00 on the clock, and he iced the win when he beat his defender one-on-one and tucked a shot past the keeper on the near side with 5:09 remaining.
GEORGETOWN EAST VIEW 1, BROWNSVILLE PORTER 0: At Corpus Christi, Georgetown East View got an early goal and held on the beat Porter.
With 24:53 to play in the opening half, Ricky Aviles made a move to get past a Porter defnder and scored to give his team the advantage. Although Porter had chances throughout, East View kept the pressure high, showing why the team moves to an undefeated 24-0-1 this season.
GIRLS CLASS 5A
CEDAR PARK 2, SHARYLAND HIGH 0: At Corpus Christi, one nearly perfect shot and one costly misplay were all it took for Cedar Park to end Sharyland High’s season.
Cedar Park’s Vanessa Rangel scored from 20 yards out on a shot that tucked just under the crossbar, putting Cedar Park ahead 1-0 with 29:04 to play in the first half. The lead moved to 2 with 14:48 to play in the second half, when the Rattlers botched a clearance to set up an easy look for the Timberwolves’ Sarah Davidson.
During the second half, the game was delayed about 45 minutes by lightning.
VANDEGRIFT 1, SHARYLAND PIONEER 0: Sharyland Pioneer kept the score close against defending state champion Vandegrift, but was ultimately unable to mount much of an attack.
While Vandegrift peppered Sharyland’s defense with shot after shot, many from within 10 yards, the Diamondbacks struggled to simply possess the ball in the attacking third. The taller, faster and more athletic Vandegrift swarmed to the ball at every opportunity.
The only goal came with 25:45 to play in the opening half, when Vandegrift’s Gracie Erdman ran onto a ball as it was rolling across the top of the box and punched it home with her first touch.
GIRLS CLASS 6A
LOS FRESNOS 1, CORPUS CHRISTI CARROLL 0: At Brownsville, the Los Fresnos girls soccer team is headed to the Region IV-Class 6A regional final after defeating Corpus Christi Carroll 1-0 (5-3 PKs) at the Brownsville Sports Park.
After regulation, the score was tied at 0.
Check back throughout the day for updates on each game as soon as it goes final.
SAN ANTONIO REGAN 2, MCALLEN MEMORIAL 0: At Brownsville, the McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs’ soccer season ended at the regional semifinal level of the state playoffs for the second staight year.
District 26-6A champion San Antonio Reagan (23-2-2) scored a pair of first-half goals and turned away every Memorial scoring threat to capture a victory against the District 30-6A champion Lady Mustangs (24-3) in the Region IV-6A Tournament semifinals at Brownsville Sports Park.
Reagan, the defending Region IV-5A champion, next plays Los Fresnos, a 1-0 (5-3) penalty kicks winner earlier Friday over Corpus Christi Carroll, at 1 p.m. Saturday at BSP with the victor advancing to next week’s UIL state tournament in Georgetown.
“Reagan got some goals, not really high-quality goals, but that doesn’t matter one way or the other,” Memorial coach Matthew Kaiser said. “For our girls, it’s just tough to play from behind against a team like Reagan. We haven’t found ourselves in that position too many times this season.”
BOYS CLASS 4A
FREDERICKSBURG 1, HIDALGO 0: Ian Kendrick’s early first-half goal was enough to end Hidalgo’s season in a match at Mission that featured a 2 1/2-hour lightning delay. The Pirates had plenty of chances to score, but never could convert. At one point, Hidalgo had four consecutive shots on goal in three minutes.
Kendrick’s goal came with 10:48 left in the first half.