HARLINGEN — Harlingen South Lady Hawks head coach Omar Pedroza knew coming into Friday’s contest against Brownsville Hanna that he was in for a fight.
And after two extra periods and a penalty shootout it was Brownsville Hanna that came away with a 5-4 (3-2 penalties) victory.
The Lady Hawks were riding a two-game win streak while the Lady Golden Eagles were coming off a fresh victory over Weslaco.
Despite the loss the Lady Hawks (2-1) still gained one point to push their point total to seven points and remain at the top of District 32-6A. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles picked up two points in the win for a total of six points.
“I told the girls that we might have lost but we are still in first place,” said Pedroza. “We might be in first place but everybody in our district is good. On the bright side we are done with the toughest part of the schedule and I knew if we won one game out of our first three games then I would be happy.”
South got on the scoreboard first as Alise Garza scored the team’s first goal within seconds of the whistle. Garza’s lone goal was enough to take a 1-0 lead into what would be an active second half.
Down a goal to start the second half, the Lady Eagles found the equalizing goal within five minutes as a Hanna player was taken down in the box for a penalty. Hanna’s Sytlaly Loyde easily converted to tie the game at one a piece. That wouldn’t be Loyde’s last goal.
After Garza notched another goal for the Lady Hawks with 22 minutes remaining in the game for a 2-1 lead, Loyde found herself with a free kick 30 yards from the goal and she would not be denied as she placed it outside the reach of South’s goalkeeper to even the game at 2-2.
Loyde finished the match with three goals as the teams concluded overtime tied at 4-4.
“She is the Capitan of the team and she is an excellent player,” said Brownsville Hanna head coach Eliseo Guzman of Loyde. “She also scored a 40-yard goal and assisted twice in our game against Weslaco. She is the one who pushes the team to give more.”
Hanna’s goalkeeper Valeria Perez was the hero in the penalty shootout as she blocked two shots for while South’s keeper could only come up with one crucial block.
