Viqueens capture top All-Metro team honors

Thanks to their school-record 20 wins and first-ever trip to the state playoffs, there are quite a few Pace Viqueens on The Brownsville Herald's 2008 All-Metro Girls Soccer Team.

Daniela Maldonado, a junior sweeper with a strong leg, is the All-Metro MVP, while teammate Alicia Gomez, a freshman forward who scored 11 goals in District 32-5A and added another tally in the playoffs, is the All-Metro newcomer of the year.

Pace's Valentin Mata is the All-Metro coach of the year for guiding the Viqueens to the postseason for the first time in 11 years of playing UIL girls soccer.

The All-Metro first team includes Porter's Gina Everitt, Los Fresnos' Samantha Garcia and Lopez's Melissa Benavides at for-ward. The first-team midfield consists of Rivera's Nena Villarreal, Lopez's Daniela Hernandez, Los Fresnos' Emmy Castillo and Pace's Maleny Delgado and Maggie Rios. The defenders are Pace's Vanessa Sanchez and Nora Dinas, Rivera's Cintya Gonzalez and Hanna's Claudia Zamorano. The All-Metro goalkeeper is Pace's Bianca Delgado.

According to Mata, any number of players in his starting lineup this season could have been chosen as an MVP. Still, he's glad to see Maldonado receive the award because when she missed a game or two with an injury, he said the difference in the team's play was quite evident.

"It was very visible to us when she was out for injury purposes, especially our play on defense," Mata said. "Vanessa Sanchez did a heck of a job in her place, but Daniela was missed when she wasn't in there. Daniela's got one of the biggest hearts and a lot of overall ability.

"This year, there were times when Daniela was hurting, but she would go out and do everything I asked of her," Mata added. "Ac-tually, I couldn't have asked for more."

Maldonado said she was just pleased to be part of the team that advanced to the playoffs for the first time and earned 20 wins. The Viqueens finished 20-10-1 and took second in 32-5A with a 9-4-1 record.

"It felt good because I knew we had the kind of team that could make it to the playoffs," she said. "My role was to try to stop any-one from passing through our defense. If they did, I tried to help out my teammates on defense.

"Our team is young, and I think we have another good opportunity to get back to the playoffs next year," she added. "I'm just glad we made history this year."

Maldonado said that winning the MVP award is a credit to Uvaldo Suarez, her grandfather, and Ana Maria Maldonado, her mother.

"My grandfather always liked to watch soccer, so that's what motivated me to play it," she said. "Also, my mother has encouraged me a lot."

Gomez was a pleasant surprise for the Viqueens. She provided a boost on the offensive end of the field for Pace and came up with some big games, such as the one at Sams Memorial Stadium on March 14 when she scored three goals to clinch the Viqueens' first playoff berth with a 4-1 win over Lopez.

"When I came to the team this year, I already knew everyone, so I knew right away that I was going to fit in," Gomez said. "If the team was down, I always tried to show the girls that we could do more and I'd try to bring us up (by scoring).

"It feels really good (to be newcomer of the year)," she added. "By getting that award my freshman year, it makes me feel like doing better in my years to come.

"The goal is always to help the team, so hopefully, we can all help each other and do even better next year. I think this team will go up even higher in the future. I'm just proud that I came to this school and to be with this team."

Concerning Gomez's contribution to his squad, Mata said, "There's no doubt about it, she was definitely a pleasant surprise. Alicia's future with the team looks promising, as does the future of some of our other players. Everybody has a role on this team, including Alicia. Everybody has a part in it, and it's a matter of just being ready to step up when asked. That's what Alicia did for us this season. She took advantage of the opportunity that came her way. It's nice to know that we can expect her back."