EDINBURG — Teams in District 31-6A have devised countless ways to defend Taylor Campbell. Few, if any, have succeeded.
While these teams have focused on stopping the senior scoring phenom, however, Edinburg Vela has developed a team of powerful offensive weapons around Campbell. Saturday’s match was a perfect example as Campbell scored twice while four other SaberCats each put the ball into the back of the net en route to an overpowering 6-0 road victory against Edinburg High.
Cary Kylene Richards, Crystal Palma, Lauren Vega and Odessa Leal each put a goal on the scoreboard and the SaberCats claimed their second shutout over the Bobcats, winning 5-0 in first meeting between the two teams this season.
The win moved Edinburg Vela closer to a rematch against Edinburg North for what could be the District 31-6A title. The teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier this year and the Cougars have been a thorn in the SaberCats’ side for the past four seasons. North has only lost once, during PKs in overtime, to Vela in those four years.
Vela plays La Joya High on Monday and PSJA High on Tuesday before the rematch with North on Wednesday.
Campbell scored the game’s opening goal off a PK due to a handball call in the box, tucking it into the left-middle side of the goal during the 12th minute. It marked her 148th career goal. She added her 149th on a quick turn and left-footed shot at the top of the box for a 4-0 lead.
In between, Richards found herself one-on-one with a defender, crossed the ball over to her left foot and scored on a low ball into the right corner of the net.
Sophomore Crystal Palma missed a chance with a header midway through the half, overshooting the crossbar. Two minutes later, and 73 seconds after Richards’ score, Palma took a high-bounce pass from Campbell and hammered it home with a header.
“There are points when you’re going to be cautious going in with your head because you don’t want to get injured, but at that time I was just in the moment,” Palma said. “I think, ‘I have it here and I need to make it.’”
“The first one didn’t go in, but as soon as I hit the second one I knew that it was going to be enough to go in and enough where the goalie couldn’t get it.”
Vela, with the wind behind them offensively, led 4-0 at halftime. But it was in the second half when the Bobcats — though only scoring twice — launched a barrage of shots, missing several but clearly flexing their muscles, and their multiple offensive threats. Having those multiple threats offensively makes Campbell’s job easier, she said.
“Our team is very good this year,” said the senior who, on Friday, signed her national letter of intent to play soccer at Trinity University. “We have a lot of shooters and a lot of attackers and the defense is playing awesome too. If I’m having a rough day, I know they are there and can do the same thing I can do. I know they’ll find me or shoot.
“This is a confidence boost. Usually we’ll win one and they’ll (Edinburg High) will win one. But to come out and win both makes us realize we can play and we’re ready to face whoever else we have left in district and playoffs.”
Junior Lauren Vega scored just two minutes into the second half for a 5-0 lead. Senior Odessa Leal added the final goal with a shot wide from the wing to the far post.
“It’s a matter of adjusting right now during the second half of play,” Vela head coach America Cortez said. “We’re adjusting on the back and seeing that different girls can play in the middle or the front and now the back.
“We have a variety of movements. We getting a variety of players and that helps with different strategies. We may change the formation, but we never change our style of play, touching the ball and crossing, looking for the middles to take some shots and these are the things that happen when you try to mark a player. They mark (No.) 9 (Campbell) or 10 (Natalia Cortez) or 2 (Leal) or whoever, but we ended up going with someone else. They’re a talented group and they communicate.
“Most of the teams have marked Taylor but she still scores. She understands playing as a team. She gets up set when she doesn’t score, but she’s always there. They can all shoot from the outside. We have a good variety and getting used to the touch and team environment.”
Edinburg Vela improved its overall record to 9-0-1 with the win.