By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Playing solid defense on the soccer field is a big priority for two of this year’s All-Metro honorees.
They are Michell Salinas of Lopez and Lizbeth Garcia of Porter.
Salinas in the Defensive MVP of The Brownsville Herald’s 2017 All-Metro girls team while Garcia is the All-Metro Utility Player of the Year.
Both players are seniors who have signed to play in college. They spent a majority of their time playing defense during the recently completed season, which saw the Lady Lobos and Cowgirls each advance to the Class 5A state playoffs.
Salinas was a four-year starter and played exclusively at sweeper for the Lady Lobos as she anchored the defense for the District 32-5A champions who went 11-3 in conference.
Garcia played some at forward and a little in the midfield, but wound up spending most of her season playing in the middle on defense as well.
The Cowgirls returned to the playoffs after qualifying for the postseason for the first time in school history in 2016.
Garcia was a big part of the Porter girls’ success as this season they tied for third place in 32-5A at 9-5 with Pace.
“My mindset was to do the best I could at every position I was put to play in,” said Garcia, who will attend Paris Junior College and play for the Dragons. “I was always willing to play wherever my teammates needed me.
“I feel honored to be receiving this (All-Metro) award,” added Garcia, who also was the utility player on the 32-5A All-District team. “I put in so much work on and off the field, and towards the end, it all became worth it.”
Cowgirls coach Abraham Gracia appreciates everything Garcia did to assist the team during her time at Porter.
“I saw Lizbeth helping the team any way she could,” he said. “She would go above and beyond to help out. She even took the initiative to ask her dad (Luis Garcia) to coach them during the offseason. Lizbeth was the one that took charge in the offseason to run summer workouts and organize the girls to play in the offseason.
“During the season she was the captain and a true leader who always tried to do what was best not only for our team, but for our girls soccer program,” he added. “As a player, she was just awesome. She is a very hard worker and a very coachable athlete who always gave her all, not only in the games, but also in practices.”
Salinas, who just signed to play for Texas A&M International University in Laredo, merits the same level of praise from Alex Macias, her coach.
“Michell has a lot of strengths playing soccer — she’s aggressive (to the ball), she’s a leader and she has a lot of knowledge about the game,” said Macias, whose Lady Lobos won district titles in 2014, 2016 and 2017 with Salinas heading the defense. “Her parents (Miguel and Maria Salinas) also played the game and she learned from them.
“She’s been on teams that have won district titles three times in her four years, so Michell is very deserving of the recognition she is receiving,” Macias added. “She will be missed. Michell was one of the reasons we were as successful as we were. I’m grateful that she is being recognized. She does deserve it and I wish her and her family well. She will be a success wherever she goes.”
Besides her All-Metro honor, Salinas is a two-time defensive MVP of 32-5A.
“Basically, I just tried to keep my eyes on the ball and not let it get past me,” Salinas said of her role as the Lady Lobos’ sweeper. “There were some times that it did get past me and I knew I just had to keep running to get it and not let anything happen (such as giving up a goal).
“It’s been a big honor to be a part of this group of girls at Lopez who have dedicated all their time to practicing and playing hard in every single game,” she added. “It’s amazing to know that my hard work is paying off and I’m getting recognized. It’s been hard, I know, but I was able to get there (and become a standout player).”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess