By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Sabrina Rebaldo, Mariana Gonzalez and Tory Morales are among the players bringing improvement to the Brownsville Veterans Memorial girls soccer team as the Lady Chargers attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
They are upperclassmen who have started since their freshman seasons for fourth-year coach Luis Troncoso.
“It’s been a great experience to be a member of this team,” said Morales, a junior who plays sweeper or central defender depending upon the Lady Chargers’ defensive alignment. “We’ve been playing together as a team, and I think that’s the greatest part of it all.
“I love our attitude,” she added. “We all have our own personalities, and that’s what brings us together. In the end, it’s our will and the want (to win), and we have that, I believe.
“Not one of us on the team has gone to the playoffs, and if we could do that it would be something great, something phenomenal.”
The Lady Chargers are 2-2 with six points in District 32-6A and coming off Friday’s 1-0 win at San Benito. They’ll try to capture their third district victory at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at their campus stadium against Harlingen High (1-3, four points). It will be a 32-6A doubleheader with the boys match between Brownsville Veterans and Harlingen High to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Troncoso appreciates the ongoing contributions of Rebaldo, Gonzalez and Morales.
“I think it’s primarily based on their experience and just staying focused and motivated to become better every season,” he said. “These girls give us leadership in different ways. And again, their experience certainly matters a lot. They’re providing the leadership we need on the field.”
Rebaldo, a senior defensive midfielder and stopper, has seen the team steadily improve during her four years on the squad. She hopes the Lady Chargers can take the next step this season by making it to the postseason.
“It was a baby program when Coach Troncoso first came in (before the 2013 season), and we’ve built the program to where it is now,” Rebaldo said. “I see a lot of potential for us. The girls are funny, but on the field we’re serious, we’re dedicated and we want to go to the playoffs.
“I think there will be a lot adversity this season, but I also think we’ll overcome it,” she added. “Hopefully we can be on our ‘A’ game every time and win.”
Added Gonzalez, a senior midfielder, “We are united, and we try to be as serious as we can at practice (and other times). It would be an honor (to reach the playoffs) because everyone on this team has worked so hard for it and we’re at our peak. I think we deserve it.
“The team is in good shape, and our girls have really good potential,” Gonzalez said. “We wish everyone good luck throughout the season.”