No. 1 Lady Rattlers open with win at second-ranked Rowe

McALLEN — McAllen Rowe’s decision to play at its high school soccer field, as opposed to the usual McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, ultimately backfired for it in Tuesday night’s District 30-5A opener.

In a span of 10 minutes, the Sharyland Lady Rattlers scored all their goals in a 3-2 win on an uneven field which had several fresh clumps of mud on it.

Sharyland coach J.J. Lopez said the field played its part in limiting the spectacle between the Valley’s top two teams. Nevertheless, he was especially proud of the way his top-ranked Lady Rattlers held off Rowe’s second-half comeback.

“To be honest with you, if we had played in a better field, you would’ve seen better soccer,” Lopez said. “What you saw was two teams getting after it, my hat’s off to Nikki Rowe.

“My girls showed a lot of character. Rowe did put a lot (of pressure) on us and they’ve been the best team we’ve played in the Valley.”

It was Rowe (0-1 district) that actually held on to early ball possession in the first half until the ball started bouncing Sharyland’s way.

Sophomore forward Daniela Cantu scored the first two goals while Alejandra Alanis added the third.

Cantu’s first goal came at the 24-minute mark when her header off a corner kick went through the goalkeeper’s legs.

Two minutes later, an unfortunate bounce in the Lady Warriors’ defense zone gave Cantu another opportunity to score, this one a flick of the ball over the out-of-position keeper’s head.

 “The first one (goal) it was luck, but the second one it was a little bit of the same,” Cantu said in Spanish.

Just before the half ended, Alina Morales scored for the Lady Warriors while Alissa Villarreal converted a successful penalty kick in the 50th minute.

Rowe’s two quick goals certainly made for a fast-paced second half.

But even when Rowe was in full hurry up-mode during the last 35 minutes, the Lady Rattlers withstood the onslaught and took home the first district win.

“We told ourselves not to relax,” Cantu said, “so they won’t score on us and hold on to the lead.

“We’re just glad we did.”

Ultimately, Rowe coach Barbara Torres-Garza did not blame the pitch conditions as she felt her team did not convert on its opportunities.

“Honestly we both have to play on the field,” Torres-Garza said. “It’s different than playing on (the McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium) turf. This is technically our home field, and I don’t want to place fault on us.

“We had our chances and didn’t take advantage of them.”