RIO GRANDE CITY — Sharyland High head coach Jorge Guerra had a clear message for his team going into their Region IV-5A area-round contest against Rio Grande City.
After going into penalty kicks for the seventh time this season during the first round, Guerra urged his team to be more aggressive offensively and look for their shot.
Led by sophomore forward Juan Pablo Treviño’s two second-half goals, the Rattlers heeded their coach’s instructions, taking down the Rio Grande City 3-1 on Tuesday at Rattler Field.
“It’s something we talked about yesterday,” Guerra said. “We weren’t taking enough shots. That’s something we talked about yesterday. We worked on some little details on getting the kids a feel for the shot. Tonight, we took a few shots and they went in.”
Sharyland High advances to the Region IV-5A quarterfinals for a second straight season. It’ll take on the Corpus Christi Veterans Eagles at a date, time and location to be determined.
Trailing 2-0 with 15 minutes left in regulation, Rio Grande City got on the board on a score from forward Robelin Montez, giving life to his team.
Seven minutes later, Rio Grande City lost Montez to a pair of yellow cards, leaving them with only 10 players on the field.
Moments after Rio Grande City lost Montez, Sharyland High regained momentum, with Treviño netting his second goal of the half just three minutes later, crossing a corner kick directly into the bottom left corner of the net.
“I just wanted to hit it close enough to the goal,” Treviño said. “I saw the keeper wasn’t saving that much and I saw he was shorter. I told my guys get close to the keeper. It’s either going in or you’ll head it in.”
Sharyland High opened the scoring during the 24th minute, earning a penalty kick after their forward, Alan Guerrero, was tackled inside the box. Midfielder Jose Sanchez converted the penalty kick to give his team a 1-0 going into the break.
Treviño added to the Rattlers’ lead during the 61st minute, taking a pass from Eliud Villarreal and delivering a strike into the back of the net for the 2-0 advantage.
“That’s something that we’ve asked from him (Treviño),” Guerra said. “He’s a very technical player. He’s a very talented guy. That’s something he had been lacking, that aggressiveness on goal. Tonight, he had two goals so we can’t ask for more.”
Rio Grande City’s season ends with 17-4-1 overall record, including an 8-1-1 mark during District 30-5A play to claim the district crown.
“It’s been an honor to coach these seniors,” Rio Grande City head coach Eduardo Garcia said. “The journey doesn’t stop here. We have to continue and try and get to the next level. We want to take the next step and I’m sure I can do it with the kids we have here.”
