BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — McAllen Rowe did not want to waste the time it spent on attack versus Laredo Alexander to open the game. On multiple occasions, the Warriors had grade-A scoring opportunities but couldn’t find the mark.
Once the home team broke the dam, however, the floodgates opened and Rowe shut out Laredo Alexander 3-0 in its final non-district game of the year.
Rowe forwards, freshman Esperanza Cantu and sophomore Sabina Sanchez, had numerous looks early but a few too many dribbles put them out of scoring position or allowed a defender to shut the chance down.
Finally, 13:29 into the contest, Laredo Alexander folded under the Warriors constant pressure via a handball inside the penalty area.
Rowe senior attacker Emily Morin stepped up to the penalty spot and gave her team the lead for good.
It was fitting that Morin scored the goal because she was the team’s facilitator. Her through passes created most of the early chances and when she had her chance she finished herself.
“It was good to have that first goal in because it definitely brought momentum within the team,” Morin said. “We finally had more momentum, especially going into the wind.”
The blustery conditions were a factor all evening. In the first half, the Warriors kicked south, into the wind.
Rowe goalie Hethyr Moore’s clearance attempts didn’t get much distance if they were kicked high enough to catch a gust.
Moore was a big piece of Rowe’s dominance by keeping a cool demeanor in net. She was not tested often but she was active in calmly picking up the ball rather than allow an Alexander forward to run into a pass.
The junior keeper’s highlight of the evening was in the first half when Alexander had a free-kick just outside of the area. Aileen Prieto sent a high shot that was postmarked for the top corner but Moore was able to jump up and snag the ball to keep the visitors scoreless.
“It’s really good because we can trust Hethyr on her line and off her line,” senior defender Celeste Narbaez said. “To be able to read free-kicks like that and be able to read where it’s going to go, it really helps us knowing we can trust her.”
The Warriors didn’t give the Bulldogs much space, but when they earned the ball back Rowe was quick to transition on the counterattack.
“It’s important to be the team on attack because we just have to be alert,” Morin said. “We have to be able to switch very fast from defense to offense and again from offense to defense. I think that’s what we do very well as a team, turn that switch so we not only prevent goals but score them as well.”
With 44.4 ticks left in the first half Sabina Sanchez gave Rowe the cushion that their play warranted. After the pass from Ilse Zecca, Sanchez dribbled around Alexander’s goalie, took one more touch around the last defender before shooting into the empty net.
Sanchez scored less than five minutes into the second half on a one-time flick to cap the night on offense.
Zecca, one of four seniors on the team, explained that possession is key but so is the quality of the touches.
“It’s about possession but it’s more like communicating, looking up to pass,” Zecca said. “Not get…cocky with the ball. Every once and a while we play with the ball and lose it but it’s more important to play as a team and not as an individual.”
In the final 15 minutes, the Rowe backline was finally tested for a sustained amount of time. The quarter of Jewel Palomo, Celeste Narbaez, Emma Viehland, Hannah Sanchez.
Palomo and Narbaez were comfortable putting their bodies in harm’s way, blocking a few hard shots to keep the ball from getting close to the net.
“It’s good for us because we step up knowing that they can still score at any time,” senior defender Celeste Narbaez said. “We need to stay together, stay strong and not let any let-ups because any small mistake can be in the goal.”
The Warriors will have a whole week to prepare for their first district game and it’s a big one. Rowe faces defending UIL Region IV Champions McAllen High in the mutual District 30-6A opener.