By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Drama in the District 32-6A boys soccer race figures to go right down to the wire in the final round of conference games on Monday.
Rivera’s 3-1 win over Los Fresnos on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium made sure of that.
Coupled with Hanna’s 2-1 victory over Harlingen High, the Raiders and Golden Eagles now are tied for the 32-6A lead with 10-3 records and 30 points apiece. Los Fresnos, which went into Friday’s action as the district leader, now is 9-4 with 29 points.
The Raiders finished the game without their full squad as two starters went out with injuries in the first half, joining another injured starter who was already out plus one that sat out Friday due to cards.
“Tonight, our bench went in, did well and contributed,” Rivera coach Salvador Garcia said. “The only thing we can do is just keep playing regardless of who is on the field. We have a squad of teammates who are willing to do what it takes to help the team win.
“It’s sad and I feel sorry for the ones who are out because they really want to play, but that’s just how it is,” Garcia added. “We hope to get at least a couple of them back in the coming weeks.”
The final date for 32-6A competition is Monday as Rivera plays at Harlingen South, Los Fresnos is at Weslaco High and Hanna takes on Weslaco East at Brownsville Sports Park. All games will be played during late morning or early afternoon due to Spring Break. The Class 6A playoffs start March 23.
The Raiders, Eagles and Falcons already have each qualified for the playoffs, but just which team or teams among them wind up with the district championship will have to wait until Monday to be determined.
On Friday, Rivera went up 1-0 with 11 minutes left in the opening half when a throw-in from the left side came to an unguarded Christian de los Santos and he scored from five yards out.
“I was surprised he was so open and I’m sure Christian was too,” Garcia said.
It became 2-0 for Rivera barely four and a half minutes into the second half when the Raiders’ Adrian Mireles advanced the ball down the right side and his strong, medium-range shot made it just inside the right post. The score triggered a jubilant celebration among the Rivera players as they realized a two-goal edge would be an almost insurmountable advantage.
A header from close range by the Falcons with just under eight minutes left made it a much tighter game at 2-1.
When Rivera scored on a direct kick from 20 yards by Roberto Melendez with a minute and a half to go to provide some breathing room again and account for the final score of 3-1. On the play, the ball slipped out of the Los Fresnos goalkeeper’s grasp and rolled into the net near the right post.
“This was an amazing win,” said Melendez, a junior center back. “As a team we put all our hearts into this game. We had faith in each other.”
Still, it was a costly match for the Raiders as two of their players were carted off with injuries in the first half and did not return.
When Los Fresnos played Rivera in the first round of district on Feb. 14 at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium, the Falcons won 1-0.