EDINBURG — Just moments after scoring the game’s first goal, Hidalgo junior forward Rey Cantu went down with an injury, forcing him to miss the rest of the Pirates’ regional quarterfinal matchup against Pharr Vanguard Rembrandt.
“It left us feeling sour with Rey getting injured,” Hidalgo freshman midfielder Joaquin Rosales said. “He helped us a lot with that first goal. So, we told him not to worry because we have a good team to keep going forward. With or without him, we were going to give it our all.”
The Pirates overcame Cantu’s injury, with Rosales and fellow freshman Alfonso Velasquez each finding paydirt during the second half to help Hidalgo cruise past the Spartans 3-0 during a Region IV-4A quarterfinal matchup Saturday at H-E-B Park.
The victory advances the Pirates to the regional semifinals for a second straight season. They’ll take on the Taylor Ducks at 2 p.m. Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen.
“Depth in your squad is a huge word,” Hidalgo head coach Zeke Morales said. “For us, I’m just really happy we have a good squad full of guys that are committed. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a freshman or a senior, everybody works hard. Everybody understands their role. We trust them and we give them all the confidence in the world. We’re just excited they stood up for us today.”
The Pirates’ defense continued its dominant postseason run, making shot attempts difficult to come by for the Spartans.
Anchored by sophomore defender Anthony Nava, the Pirates pitched their third straight shutout of the playoffs, outscoring opponents 12-0 during that span.
“It’s their attitude and personality on the entire team,” Morales said. “From the defense to our midfields and forwards, everybody does their part. They all understand when we lose the ball, they have to do their part in defending to get the ball back so we can start creating our style of soccer.”
Offensively, Cantu set the tone early for the Pirates, netting the first goal of the match during the 15th minute, corralling a pass inside the box and tapping it into the left side of the net. The score marked Cantu’s fifth of the postseason.
“It felt good to give my team the lead,” Cantu said. “We had gotten inside the box multiple times, but we couldn’t get the goal. The team was getting frustrated. The goal came at a time we needed it. It picked the team back up and we really started playing.”
After a scoreless first half following Cantu’s injury, the Pirates added to their lead during the second half, with Rosales firing a shot from the top of the box for the score.
Velasquez added the Pirates’ third goal during the 63rd minute, all but sealing the victory and sending the Pirates to the fourth round for a rematch against the Taylor Ducks, who Hidalgo defeated 2-1 during the Region IV-4A quarterfinals last season.
The winner advances to the Region IV-4A finals Saturday, facing off against the winner between Boerne and Progreso.
“It felt super good seeing my team win without me,” Cantu said. “I know our team is super strong. They have a lot of heart. I know without me they can still beat whoever we face.”
“We just can’t rely on last year. Just because we beat them last year doesn’t mean we’ll win again. We have to go in like we do against any team. We have to play like it’s a final to reach our objective of getting to the regional final.”
