The right direction
Mission Vets’ Nuñez building solid program
BY HENRY MILLER
STAFF WRITER
MISSION — When Kenan Nuñez took the job as head coach of the Mission Veterans girls soccer program, the first thing he had to do was recruit former players, ones who decided to hang up their cleats, back to the team.
“I had six to eight girls who weren’t going to play their junior or senior years,” Nuñez said. “I told them that I planned to build something with the program and without them it wouldn’t be possible.”
After missing the playoffs the first two years with Nuñez at the helm, the Patriots clinched a playoff spot. Then COVID-19 struck and the season was shut down.
The building process, however, continued with the new sheriff in town and the Patriots are now the two-time undefeated District 30-5A champions. Having turned a program around at a school known especially for volleyball and football, Nuñez has been named The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Coach of the Year.
In the first 15 years of the program’s existence, the team captured just two district titles, six years apart. Now, they’ve won two in a row.
The building process didn’t happen just during the previous two years, but from the moment Nuñez, a 1999 Mission High graduate, earned the buy-in from his returning players.
“Those girls were giving me the chance,” Nuñez said. “Last year was amazing, but this year we removed the fluke. That’s what made this year so special — we aren’t a one-hit wonder. My goal is to develop and sustain a program. We don’t want to be known as a fluke.”
Going into next year, the Patriots are already considered as a postseason contender with a shot to become the three-time district champions. They have lost just two seniors and bring back their top scoring leaders in Aliyah Pelayo and Mia Sanchez. Sanchez was the team leader in goals and assists before missing the final five games with an Achilles injury. When she went out, Pelayo “stepped up big time,” Nuñez said. Pelayo scored during all 15 matches throughout the season.
Already during summer conditioning and sport-specific practices, there have been 30 or more girls showing up for soccer.
“Our girls now know how to win and they want to win, and these girls conditioning already in summer, they want to win,” he said. “As a result, winning has brought more and more girls. They know that next year we have something ready.”
Nuñez is hoping next year is where the program takes its next step — winning a playoff game.
“Not everybody is a McHi or Harlingen South where winning a playoff game happens every year, so that’s our next goal,” said Nuñez, talking about two of the perennial postseason teams in the Valley. “Somebody asked if I would trade this season for a playoff win. The answer is no. Going undefeated in district, twice, is a rare feat to achieve.
“Maybe I’m optimistic but if we keep winning in district, those playoff wins will come, too.”
