BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Porter heard the comments starting to stir following a slow start to the 2023 soccer season. A mounting pile of ties and losses led to the words “overrated” and “rebuild” being thrown around about the Cowboys.
The Cowboys haven’t paid much attention to the outside noise, knowing state championships are won in March, not in preseason tournaments.
Just in case the soccer community forgot who it was, however, Brownsville Porter delivered a statement win during Day 1 of the 40th annual Brownsville ISD Soccer Tournament, opening pool play with a 2-1 victory over perennial power Sharyland High at the Brownsville Sports Park.
“Some of the comments we were hearing were people saying we weren’t going to be a contender this year and we were overrated,” Brownsville Porter head coach Jose Espitia said. “Hopefully we can prove them wrong and use this tournament to make a statement. But at the same time, we want to do whatever it takes to make sure the team is prepared for the start of district this Friday. In the end, that is what counts.”
An inspired and emotional Alessandro Lara, who was playing in the tournament just one day following the death of his grandmother, sparked the Cowboys’ victory.
He demonstrated his playmaking ability during the 23rd minute, creating space inside the box and firing the ball into the back of the net to tie the game. The score came 13 minutes after Sharyland High took the lead on a converted penalty kick by senior Jose Sanchez.
Just two minutes later, Lara located a loose ball inside the danger zone and delivered a shot into the bottom left corner for the go-ahead goal.
“Alessandro, he was a little emotional because of what happened with his grandma yesterday,” Espitia said. “That was a little boost for the team to try to give him a good game and give him a win. … He’s also modifying and adapting to a different position. He has been struggling a little because he has always been a midfielder and we’re moving him to forward. He had been getting kind of frustrated because the ball doesn’t get to him, so he drops a lot. Today, I think we were able to keep him up there and let the ball get to him. I think he did great today. We’re expecting great things from him. He’s one of our captains and one of our leaders.”
The Cowboys were joined by the Hidalgo Pirates in making a statement during the start of pool play. The Pirates, the lone Class 4A school competing in the tournament, took down Class 6A powerhouse Brownsville Rivera 1-0 during their first game of the day.
Brownsville Porter finished pool play unscathed, picking up wins over Corpus Christi Moody (2-0) and Austin St. Stephens (2-0) to punch their ticket in the gold bracket.
The top team from each pool advances to the gold bracket, with the remaining teams split into the silver or consolation bracket.
Senior midfielder Joaquin Rosales played the role of hero, netting the go-ahead goal on a strike from outside the box with less than three minutes remaining.
The Pirates finished pool play 1-1, falling in their second game of the day 2-0 to the PSJA Memorial Wolverines.
Day 2 of the 40th annual Brownsville ISD Soccer Tournament kicks off at 10 a.m. today at the Brownsville Sports Park. For full Day 1 results and Day 2 pairings, visit RGVSports.com.
