By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The mark of a successful soccer team is a strong midfield.
At 26-0-1 on the season, the Porter Cowboys, who won District 32-5A with a 14-0 record, are certainly a winning team that features a midfield composed of standout players.
Porter’s midfield is one of the main reasons the Cowboys are advancing to this week’s UIL state tournament in Georgetown.
“We all work together in the midfield, attacking and defending, and that’s what has brought us along and given us the (winning) results,” said Porter’s Enrique Soto, a senior on the left wing and a team captain along with defensive midfielder Uriel Sepulveda. “We have good passing, good shooting and the assists that lead to goals.”
In Thursday’s Class 5A state semifinals, Region IV champion Porter plays Region I champion El Paso Eastlake (22-2-1) at 7:30 p.m. at Georgetown ISD’s Birkelbach Stadium.
The winner goes against Region II champion Frisco Wakeland (24-0-1) or Region III champion Pflugerville Connally (19-5-2) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the 5A state title match.
Porter’s midfield consists of Alexis Anzures in the center with Soto and Marco Don Juan on the wings. Besides Sepulveda as the defensive midfielder, Omar Estrada and Daniel Briseno figure into the mix and sometimes start on the wing or in the middle depending upon the opponent’s alignment.
“I like being part of this wonderful team (as a midfielder/defender),” said Briseno, a senior whose younger brother, Roberto Briseno, a junior, starts on defense. “It feels amazing because we have a really good chemistry. And with the experience we have, we can pass the ball (well) and move it around. We need to remain concentrated at state, touch the ball, keep our positions and give it everything we’ve got. I think it’s been 10 years since Porter won state, so hopefully this is our year.”
Porter coach Jose Espitia said all the midfielders have started since they were freshmen, so it’s a big plus. They are all seniors except Don Juan, who is a junior.
“Those guys have the experience of playing in a lot of important soccer matches,” the Cowboys coach said. “The main thing with them is they believe they’re going to win and they never give up.
“It’s just their mentality,” Espitia added. “It doesn’t matter who we’re going to play, they’re focused on the game and you can see it in their faces. They lead the group. That helps us a lot.”
Don Juan said he came to Porter to win a state championship, just like his teammates.
“We’ve been working hard and fighting through the playoffs to get where we’re at,” he said. “For me, coming home with a state title would be the best. I came to Porter as a freshman hoping that we would do it.”