(This is one installment of a series of stories about some of the Valley girls’ soccer teams heading to the playoffs)
“The district runs through us.”
Mission Veterans head coach Kenan Nunez wasn’t being arrogant when he recently spoke those words. He was clearly stating a fact.
The Patriots girls soccer team has won three of the past four District 30-5A titles. More importantly, Nunez has transformed a program that was always taking a back seat to programs like volleyball, football, soccer and more that had built a winning history.
Well, move over everyone. Girls soccer is joining that party.
But it didn’t happen happen overnight.
“It was a slow process and my thing was getting girls to play 24/7,” Nunez said. “When I got to the program, they would just play those three months — not the summer, not the fall. Once I got there, we started playing in the summer leagues and fall leagues.
“They liked what I was doing with the program. I treat them like my daughters, and they are all in. Once they see you’re all in, they fall in place.”
The biggest common denominator during the three district titles is senior Mia Sanchez, their top goal scorer who made an immediate impact and was named MVP of the district as a freshman.
“She does it all. She’s the best player in our district,” Nunez said. “If I played her at defense, she’d be the best defender, she’s the best midfielder and I’ve put her up top and she scored the goals, if I put her at forward she’d be the best forward in the district.
“Whether it’s goals, assists or playing defense, she controls the game no matter who we play.”
Injuries have cost her some games during both her sophomore year (Achilles injury) and junior year (knee sprain), but this year she’s back on track and the Patriots have gone 12-1 with one game remaining, clinching their third district title since her arrival.
Ironically, Nunez said maybe his best team during this run was last year, when the Patriots were hit hard by the injury bug and they captured fourth place on the final day of the season.
The Patriots game plan is what coaches dream about, try to get an early lead and then release the defensive hounds, which include Itza Bella Nunez, the coach’s daughter.
“She’s the tiniest girl on the field but nobody plays harder than her,” Coach Nunez said. “She’s like a flea, she attacks, and attacks and attacks. You can’t get away from her. Like I tell the girls: if you attack them, they will make mistakes. She makes the top players give up the ball and then our defense just swarms.”
During their 13 district games, they’ve allowed just five goals and that includes facing offensive juggernauts Valerie Morales from Palmview and Samantha Jimenez from Juarez-Lincoln whose teams are second and third in District 30-5A.
“Palmview has scored like a thousand goals this year but they only had one shot on goal in our second game,” said Nunez, whose Patriots split a pair of 1-0 game with the Lobos. “Valerie scored a great goal against us.”
Sanchez scored the only goal during Mission Veterans’ 1-0 win over Palmview.
“Nothing will be given to us and we were set up for the long grind because it doesn’t matter what’s on paper. We have to go out there and prove it,” Nunez said. “Blink once with Valerie or Samantha and they’ll score on you. That kept us focused.”
The next goal is to get past the bi-district round, which has plagued District 30-5A getting swept by all four teams in 29-5A the past three years. Nunez is hoping to change that this year.
“This year defensively we are thinking and we’re not just playing kick ball anymore — kick the ball and go get it,” he said. “Now, we are playing soccer. When Palmview beat us, they celebrated like they won the World Cup.
“I told the girls to let them celebrate. This shows how great you girls are.”
