Hidalgo’s Garcia named The Monitor’s All-Area OPOY
BY HENRY MILLER
STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — Hidalgo girls soccer head coach Francisco Alday has watched the replay several times.
Each time, it’s a thing of beauty, etched forever in his mind.
With three minutes remaining during the second overtime period in the Pirates’ area-round matchup against North Mission IDEA, center forward Indra Cervantes passed the ball off to her right.
“It was a thing of absolute beauty,” Alday said.
A streaking Jayline Garcia caught the perfect pass in stride and put the finishing touches on it, sending it to the back of the net as the Pirates claimed a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Garcia, a sophomore, found the net often this past season, including all three times in that area-round win, the first for Hidalgo since 2011. North Mission tied the game at 2 with 30 seconds remaining, sending it into overtime.
“(Indra) just felt her there and put it right on her foot,” Alday said. “I’ve watched that video several times.”
Garcia’s knack for scoring — she led the entire Rio Grande Valley in district goals with 37 — has earned her The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Offensive Player of the Year award.
“The bar has been set pretty high,” Alday said. “But she pushes the limits that she sets for herself.”
Her 43 goals — the 43rd being the area game-winner — tied the school mark for goals in a season, and with the Pirates losing just three seniors from this year’s team, Alday is expecting another good, or better, season.
“We had a good run, and if the team learns to communicate a little better and pass the ball we can be a bit more offensive. We have a wealth of offense that can take the pressure of a double or triple team off her.”
Garcia played only a half season with the soccer team as a freshman, dedicating her time as a starter on the girls varsity basketball team. Still, she finished second on the team in goals scored, knocking in 16. After evaluating her options, the offensive standout decided to focus on soccer.
“Basketball interfered with soccer, and I was sad to make that decision,” Garcia said. “But I thought I was a better soccer player.
“It was a good decision.”
Alday said as Garcia adjusted to the marks and double teams, she started involving more of her teammates. That made a big difference as the season progressed. Now, Alday and Garcia both hope to carry that momentum into next season.
“When she started using the rest of the girls out there and triangulating on offense we would have girls with more assists and it opened up the game a lot,” Alday said. “At first she was a bit frustrated with the double teams, but she’s a team player.
“She’s 15, she’s a teen, but she has a mature mind and has been playing for a long time. She’s mature for her age and can handle it.”
If anything, that final goal that sent Hidalgo into the third round of the playoffs was a perfect example of teamwork and communication.
“I always shoot, and shooting it to the side and it ends up going to the goalie,” Garcia joked. “I got the ball and was thinking corners, corners, corners. The whole play was just beautiful.”
