By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
With what was perhaps the goal of the year in Brownsville soccer, Andres Rico lifted St. Joseph Academy to a district championship against the defending TAPPS state champion.
There were 28 minutes remaining when Rico blasted a free kick into the net from approximately 45 yards out for the winning goal during the Bloodhounds’ 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the San Antonio Central Catholic Buttons on Saturday at Canales Field.
The teams came into the match as TAPPS district co-leaders at 4-1. The TAPPS playoffs are next for each squad.
Rico, a junior midfielder, lined up for the free kick near midfield on the right side. He launched a strong shot, and it came in high with velocity as the perfectly placed ball sailed over the outstretched arms of the surprised Central Catholic goalkeeper and settled into the back of the net. The unexpected score ignited an enthusiastic celebration among the SJA players, coaches and fans in attendance on an ideal day for soccer with the sun shining brightly, temperatures in the 70s and a slight breeze.
“I’ll remember it forever,” Rico said of the goal after the match was over with the Bloodhounds continuing to celebrate their victory over a team to which they had lost 4-1 minus some players during the first round of district Jan. 3.
“I think it’s exciting that we get to win a game like this, especially with a young team that has (so many) freshmen and everything,” Rico added. “It feels pretty good.”
When asked to describe his amazing goal, Rico said, “The goalkeeper was used to me centering the ball (and not trying to score), and I saw him a little forward (from his usual defensive position), so I took the chance and shot it. Thank God, the ball went in. I think I kicked it perfect enough so that it would go exactly where it could go in.”
Early on, things weren’t looking all that great for the Bloodhounds as the Buttons went ahead 14 minutes into the game. Central Catholic took a corner kick from the left side and Mike Treviño headed in the ball to give the Buttons a 1-0 lead that lasted through halftime.
But things changed just five minutes into the second half as SJA’s Luis Amaro attacked from the left side. He caught the goalkeeper coming out as he tapped a slow roller into an open goal from about 12 yards away. It tied the match at 1 and set the stage for Rico’s memorable, game-winning heroics.
After SJA went up 2-1, the Bloodhounds’ defense, led by central defender and team captain Rodrigo Salinas and goalkeeper Mario Ramirez,turned away all threats by the Buttons to secure the win.
The Bloodhounds (14-3-2 overall) now are expected to play host toa playoff game against the fifth-place team from the TAPPS district in the Dallasarea. It would be next Saturday or the following Tuesday, Feb. 17.
“When you prepare and work hard, you can take advantage of the opportunities that come your way,” SJA coach Tino Villarreal said. “A little bit of luck is needed to win a game like this against a defending state champion that has a phenomenal team, but we’ll take it.
“This is a great feeling for our boys,” Villarreal added. “We lost 14 seniors from last year’s team, and we’ve come a long way. It takes hard work, and this team has been putting in a lot of hard work, so this feels great. It came down to the last game (of our regular season), and now we’re already thinking about our next game. Our district (that includes San Antonioschools) is tough, and our TAPPS league is very tough, too.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.