KEVIN NARRO | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
PHARR — The case was simple for both clubs. A win in regulation for either team would clinch the final playoff spot in District 31-6A.
PSJA Memorials Osvaldo Villanueva’s three-goal performance gave the Wolverines a 5-3 win against PSJA Southwest on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines punched their ticket to the playoffs, thus eliminating PSJA Southwest and PSJA High from playoff contention.
PSJA Memorial reached 23 points in the standings, tied with PSJA North and ahead of PSJA High (22) and PSJA Southwest (21). PSJA Memorial holds the tiebreaker against North and will be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
The Wolverines advance to the playoffs for the second straight year under coach Alejandro Cruz. PSJA Memorial will await either Brownsville Hanna or Brownsville Rivera from District 32-6A in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
“Either way, it’s going to be fun, and a challenge,” Cruz said. “I told our boys, it’s time to put up or shut up. We overcame a lot throughout the season to get to this point. This is a great feeling, especially for the seniors. Last season ended a bit short for us. Now, this time around, we have an opportunity to right the wrong.”
Scoring wasn’t a problem in the first half, as PSJA Southwest and PSJA Memorial combined for six goals.
Villanueva laced in a pair of goals for the Wolverines, giving them a 2-1 lead. The Javelinas offense caught fire from there, scoring two goals within a minute. Juan Franco gave Southwest a 3-2 lead with 12:18 in the first half. Villanueva’s second goal tied the game at three in the final minutes of the first half.
PSJA Memorial outscored Southwest 2-0 in the second half, with the Wolverines defense keeping the Javelinas out of the net. Villanueva put the game on ice in the 15th minute of the second half, giving the Wolverines the momentum and a two-goal lead that they would not relinquish.
“I didn’t give up, I couldn’t, not today,” Villanueva said. “I didn’t want today to be my last game, and I thought as a team we did a great job. Offensively, we kept moving everyone around to keep the defense guessing.”
Villanueva finished the regular season with a team-high 15 goals.
“He is our leader and captain for a reason,” Cruz said. “He is the team’s spark plug, and today he showed why he is our captain. I couldn’t be more happier for him and the seniors, because they deserve another shot in the playoffs.”