| The Sports Pulse of Laredo Sports Texas Lrd Sports Wire News Network Soccer's GURU Danny Perez Sports analyst view on the match that was played by Del Rio and LBJ |
The start of the game had both teams energetically trying to impose their will on each other. Del Rio tried
pressuring the backline of the Lady Wolves but Kimberly Sosa, Selena Garza and Paula Elizalde were up to the task
passing the ball out of the back. LBJ's goalkeeper Alexa De Leon was quick off her line to stop any counterattacks
and to get the offense going. The Lady Wolves midfield of Sheila Bravo, Kimbo Flores and Brenda Garcia were
outhustling the Del Rio midfield and getting possession. Once the Lady Wolves had possession they were
connecting with their scoring sensation Janet Cazares. Once Cazares touched the ball, the "magia" of the talented
LBJ forward was weaving past the Del Rio defenders but failing to score. Part of that problem was the stout play the
Del Rio defense led by Kaitlin Witt and the goalkeeper Ashley Padilla. Witt would close off the passing lanes and
cleared out any problems out of her area while Padilla was smothering any shots on her goal. The Del Rio midfield
was being tentative and unfocused but stellar right midfielder Yolanda Gonzalez started to jolt the high powered Del
Rio offense and send passes to the district's most lethal forward in Clarissa Leon.
The game's quick pace resulted in both teams having several open opportunities but neither taking advantage or
the lead. LBJ had a golden chance as Janet Cazares sent a nice pass into Sheila Bravo making a diagonal run who
shot at goal but Del Rio's goalie Padilla stopped it but the rebound shot landed in front of Brenda Garcia. Del Rio's
Padilla came off her line and put pressure on Garcia to shoot it wide and barely missing the goal post. Del Rio's
Clarissa Leon started to get into her offensive grove and went on the attack. Leon flew by the LBJ defense and fired
several shots wide at the goal. Del Rio's super tandem of Leon and Gonzalez were clicking and that got the LBJ
defense to start feeling the pressure. One of those pressure situations resulted in the LBJ defense clearing the ball
into a corner kick instead of a throw in. Del Rio's Gonzalez took the corner kick and sent a high cross into the goal
area. All the defensive attention of LBJ was centered on Leon and that left Del Rio's Gabrielle Robinson to push the
ball into the net for the game's first goal.
The Del Rio Queens weren't done as a stunned Lady Wolves team was still trying to recover mentally from the
first goal. Del Rio applied that vice grip-like pressure to confuse the LBJ defense. Del Rio's Gonzalez recovered an
errand pass and sent a high lob pass over the LBJ defense where Clarissa Leon bolted past the LBJ defense and
aimed a rocket-powered shot towards LBJ's goalie De Leon that she could not handle. The LBJ midfield started to
drop more into their defensive area and held ground. LBJ mid fielders Bravo and Garcia were fiercely maintaining
the frantic pace that Del Rio was running at. The Lady Wolves had some chances in front of goal but once again
Padilla stonewalled any shot on goal. On one of Padilla's goal kicks, the LBJ defense recovered and couldn't clear
the ball out far enough. The ball landed just past the halfway line and where Del Rio's Nelly Ortiz sent a high shot
into the LBJ net for a 3-0 lead. The famous swirling winds of the SAC might have played into the difficulty in judging
the ball's trajectory but the power of the shot made it almost impossible to secure that ball from going in.
The LBJ Lady Wolves did not dip their heads and pushed forward. The LBJ Lady Wolves started to communicate
better and compile a couple of consecutive passes into the Del Rio Queens goal area. The LBJ team was sending
pass after pass into the Del Rio goal area and were getting closer and closer to get on the scoreboard. LBJ's
Cazares jukes a couple of defenders and sent a pass to Brenda Garcia. There Garcia made a couple of nifty moves
to draw the defense out and sent a lob pass into space where Sheila Bravo nailed a shot past Del Rio's goalkeeper
Padilla. The score was 3-1 late in the first half but teams like Del Rio always close the half strong. Del Rio pressured
and forced a corner kick that they took advantage of. Once again Yolanda Gonzalez sent a high cross into the goal
area where Del Rio's Desiree De La Paz scored for a 4-1 lead. The height and picture perfect offensive runs by Del
Rio were causing problems for the LBJ back line. The half ended with both teams having chances but only one
really capitalizing on those chances.
After halftime, the pace of the game quicken to a blistering speed. LBJ came out from halftime fully energized and
eager to take control of the game. Del Rio had no answer in the first opening minutes of the second half as LBJ
dominated play in the midfield with possession and precision. LBJ was not letting the Del Rio Queens get into an
offensive rhythm and LBJ was pressuring once again. Once again the combination of Cazares' passing brilliance
created opportunities for her teammates. Cazares went by a couple of man-markers where she sent a thru ball to
Bravo who one-timed it back to Cazares to offset the defense. Once the defense pushed forward, Cazares sent a
precise pass between the defenders to an oncoming Brenda Garcia for a quick score and regain momentum. But
that momentum was short-lived as Del Rio settled down and started working their way back into their game plan. Del
Rio scored off another corner kick to the bewilderment of the LBJ team. After that Del Rio goal, it seemed to have
re-taken their momentum in their favor. Del Rio scored one more goal as Yolanda Gonzalez connected with Alexa
Flores to close off the scoring for the game and win the game 6-2 over the Lady Wolves.
After the game, the soccer guru spoke to Del Rio Head Coach Ernesto Martinez and asked him about his
thoughts on the game. He said "we really didn't know what to expect tonight. We knew it was going to be an intense
game and difficult. The score does not reflect on the way the game was played out. We lost 7 starters due to
graduation and are still working on our communication. We are happy we got the win but we still have a lot of
improvement. LBJ has a very good team and are very fast". The soccer guru asked Coach Martinez about the Del
Rio Queens being the district favorite, he said "I don't know who is picking us as the favorites but we will work hard
to win district. This district is very hard as there are very good teams here in Laredo like Martin, LBJ and United. We
know it is going to be hard and the season is very long".
The soccer guru spoke to LBJ Head Coach Steve Su and asked him his thoughts on the game, he said "it's very
simple, we had 4 defensive errors and we gave up 4 goals on those errors. Those 4 goals simply killed our game
plan as we gave up several corner kick that we could not defend the 2nd post to prevent those goals from going in.
We had a bad night defensively but we will get better as the season goes on". The soccer guru asked Coach Su
about what he liked about his team's performance, he said " I liked the play of our midfield and forwards. We moved
the ball well and created chances for us. We had problems in the back line but we will keep working hard in practice
to fix those problems". The soccer guru asked him about the defending champions Del Rio, he stated " they have
an excellent team like always. I thought they played very well but we also understand that we had very good
chances against them. No team is invincible and we hope to get the better of them when we go play against them in
Del Rio". The soccer guru asked Coach Su about what he told his team to get them fired up after halftime, he said "
I told them that we could win against this team as we have a good team. I also told them to use our speed to create
problems for them and also told them to give their all".
Overview of the game is that this was a very exciting game. This game had both teams go on the offensive while
showing some pretty nice passing as well. The difference was the finishing those opportunities in front of goal. Both
teams' defense looked a little sluggish but Del Rio's defense marked their defensive assignments better on set
plays like corner kicks. This game sent a statement to the rest of the district in letting them know that the road to
district glory leads to DEL RIO. So until some team can effectively control the midfield play of Yolanda Gonzalez and
clamp down on the district's reigning MVP Clarissa Leon, it looks like another repeat district soccer title for the Del
Rio Queens. On a quick side note, the soccer guru would like to thank the Del Rio Queens parents who made the
trip to see the game. Some spoke to the soccer guru about a range of soccer stuff and also soccer events in our
Laredo community. The soccer guru thinks it's awesome that parents can travel 4 hours to support their kids. Wish
more would be able to. Thank you Del Rio fans especially Mr. Roberto Padilla for your opinion on the soccer guru's
work in covering soccer. See you all soon.
SOCCER GURU'S TIP OF THE DAY:
The soccer guru's tip of the day is defensive coverage on set plays. Coaches need to spend more than five minutes
to explain man-marking but also having the goalkeeper come out to get the ball. Doing this every day will only make
you a better team and a more cerebral team as you need to recognize the runs the other team is going to make
while attempting to head the ball. Some games are won on that one chance of a free kick or corner kick so get the
better of that chance by practicing it till it becomes second nature. Scoring on set plays is just as important as
defending them.
pressuring the backline of the Lady Wolves but Kimberly Sosa, Selena Garza and Paula Elizalde were up to the task
passing the ball out of the back. LBJ's goalkeeper Alexa De Leon was quick off her line to stop any counterattacks
and to get the offense going. The Lady Wolves midfield of Sheila Bravo, Kimbo Flores and Brenda Garcia were
outhustling the Del Rio midfield and getting possession. Once the Lady Wolves had possession they were
connecting with their scoring sensation Janet Cazares. Once Cazares touched the ball, the "magia" of the talented
LBJ forward was weaving past the Del Rio defenders but failing to score. Part of that problem was the stout play the
Del Rio defense led by Kaitlin Witt and the goalkeeper Ashley Padilla. Witt would close off the passing lanes and
cleared out any problems out of her area while Padilla was smothering any shots on her goal. The Del Rio midfield
was being tentative and unfocused but stellar right midfielder Yolanda Gonzalez started to jolt the high powered Del
Rio offense and send passes to the district's most lethal forward in Clarissa Leon.
The game's quick pace resulted in both teams having several open opportunities but neither taking advantage or
the lead. LBJ had a golden chance as Janet Cazares sent a nice pass into Sheila Bravo making a diagonal run who
shot at goal but Del Rio's goalie Padilla stopped it but the rebound shot landed in front of Brenda Garcia. Del Rio's
Padilla came off her line and put pressure on Garcia to shoot it wide and barely missing the goal post. Del Rio's
Clarissa Leon started to get into her offensive grove and went on the attack. Leon flew by the LBJ defense and fired
several shots wide at the goal. Del Rio's super tandem of Leon and Gonzalez were clicking and that got the LBJ
defense to start feeling the pressure. One of those pressure situations resulted in the LBJ defense clearing the ball
into a corner kick instead of a throw in. Del Rio's Gonzalez took the corner kick and sent a high cross into the goal
area. All the defensive attention of LBJ was centered on Leon and that left Del Rio's Gabrielle Robinson to push the
ball into the net for the game's first goal.
The Del Rio Queens weren't done as a stunned Lady Wolves team was still trying to recover mentally from the
first goal. Del Rio applied that vice grip-like pressure to confuse the LBJ defense. Del Rio's Gonzalez recovered an
errand pass and sent a high lob pass over the LBJ defense where Clarissa Leon bolted past the LBJ defense and
aimed a rocket-powered shot towards LBJ's goalie De Leon that she could not handle. The LBJ midfield started to
drop more into their defensive area and held ground. LBJ mid fielders Bravo and Garcia were fiercely maintaining
the frantic pace that Del Rio was running at. The Lady Wolves had some chances in front of goal but once again
Padilla stonewalled any shot on goal. On one of Padilla's goal kicks, the LBJ defense recovered and couldn't clear
the ball out far enough. The ball landed just past the halfway line and where Del Rio's Nelly Ortiz sent a high shot
into the LBJ net for a 3-0 lead. The famous swirling winds of the SAC might have played into the difficulty in judging
the ball's trajectory but the power of the shot made it almost impossible to secure that ball from going in.
The LBJ Lady Wolves did not dip their heads and pushed forward. The LBJ Lady Wolves started to communicate
better and compile a couple of consecutive passes into the Del Rio Queens goal area. The LBJ team was sending
pass after pass into the Del Rio goal area and were getting closer and closer to get on the scoreboard. LBJ's
Cazares jukes a couple of defenders and sent a pass to Brenda Garcia. There Garcia made a couple of nifty moves
to draw the defense out and sent a lob pass into space where Sheila Bravo nailed a shot past Del Rio's goalkeeper
Padilla. The score was 3-1 late in the first half but teams like Del Rio always close the half strong. Del Rio pressured
and forced a corner kick that they took advantage of. Once again Yolanda Gonzalez sent a high cross into the goal
area where Del Rio's Desiree De La Paz scored for a 4-1 lead. The height and picture perfect offensive runs by Del
Rio were causing problems for the LBJ back line. The half ended with both teams having chances but only one
really capitalizing on those chances.
After halftime, the pace of the game quicken to a blistering speed. LBJ came out from halftime fully energized and
eager to take control of the game. Del Rio had no answer in the first opening minutes of the second half as LBJ
dominated play in the midfield with possession and precision. LBJ was not letting the Del Rio Queens get into an
offensive rhythm and LBJ was pressuring once again. Once again the combination of Cazares' passing brilliance
created opportunities for her teammates. Cazares went by a couple of man-markers where she sent a thru ball to
Bravo who one-timed it back to Cazares to offset the defense. Once the defense pushed forward, Cazares sent a
precise pass between the defenders to an oncoming Brenda Garcia for a quick score and regain momentum. But
that momentum was short-lived as Del Rio settled down and started working their way back into their game plan. Del
Rio scored off another corner kick to the bewilderment of the LBJ team. After that Del Rio goal, it seemed to have
re-taken their momentum in their favor. Del Rio scored one more goal as Yolanda Gonzalez connected with Alexa
Flores to close off the scoring for the game and win the game 6-2 over the Lady Wolves.
After the game, the soccer guru spoke to Del Rio Head Coach Ernesto Martinez and asked him about his
thoughts on the game. He said "we really didn't know what to expect tonight. We knew it was going to be an intense
game and difficult. The score does not reflect on the way the game was played out. We lost 7 starters due to
graduation and are still working on our communication. We are happy we got the win but we still have a lot of
improvement. LBJ has a very good team and are very fast". The soccer guru asked Coach Martinez about the Del
Rio Queens being the district favorite, he said "I don't know who is picking us as the favorites but we will work hard
to win district. This district is very hard as there are very good teams here in Laredo like Martin, LBJ and United. We
know it is going to be hard and the season is very long".
The soccer guru spoke to LBJ Head Coach Steve Su and asked him his thoughts on the game, he said "it's very
simple, we had 4 defensive errors and we gave up 4 goals on those errors. Those 4 goals simply killed our game
plan as we gave up several corner kick that we could not defend the 2nd post to prevent those goals from going in.
We had a bad night defensively but we will get better as the season goes on". The soccer guru asked Coach Su
about what he liked about his team's performance, he said " I liked the play of our midfield and forwards. We moved
the ball well and created chances for us. We had problems in the back line but we will keep working hard in practice
to fix those problems". The soccer guru asked him about the defending champions Del Rio, he stated " they have
an excellent team like always. I thought they played very well but we also understand that we had very good
chances against them. No team is invincible and we hope to get the better of them when we go play against them in
Del Rio". The soccer guru asked Coach Su about what he told his team to get them fired up after halftime, he said "
I told them that we could win against this team as we have a good team. I also told them to use our speed to create
problems for them and also told them to give their all".
Overview of the game is that this was a very exciting game. This game had both teams go on the offensive while
showing some pretty nice passing as well. The difference was the finishing those opportunities in front of goal. Both
teams' defense looked a little sluggish but Del Rio's defense marked their defensive assignments better on set
plays like corner kicks. This game sent a statement to the rest of the district in letting them know that the road to
district glory leads to DEL RIO. So until some team can effectively control the midfield play of Yolanda Gonzalez and
clamp down on the district's reigning MVP Clarissa Leon, it looks like another repeat district soccer title for the Del
Rio Queens. On a quick side note, the soccer guru would like to thank the Del Rio Queens parents who made the
trip to see the game. Some spoke to the soccer guru about a range of soccer stuff and also soccer events in our
Laredo community. The soccer guru thinks it's awesome that parents can travel 4 hours to support their kids. Wish
more would be able to. Thank you Del Rio fans especially Mr. Roberto Padilla for your opinion on the soccer guru's
work in covering soccer. See you all soon.
SOCCER GURU'S TIP OF THE DAY:
The soccer guru's tip of the day is defensive coverage on set plays. Coaches need to spend more than five minutes
to explain man-marking but also having the goalkeeper come out to get the ball. Doing this every day will only make
you a better team and a more cerebral team as you need to recognize the runs the other team is going to make
while attempting to head the ball. Some games are won on that one chance of a free kick or corner kick so get the
better of that chance by practicing it till it becomes second nature. Scoring on set plays is just as important as
defending them.
Two of the District 29-5 A most talented girls soccer teams took to the field last night at
the Student Activity Center(SAC). One of the teams was the always playoff bound LBJ
Lady Wolves while the other was the defending District Champions Del Rio Queens.
Both teams were coming off dominating wins in their opening district game, LBJ beat the
Eagle Pass Lady Eagles 5-1 and the Del Rio Queens trounced CC Winn 6-0. Both
teams lost several key players from last year's team, LBJ graduated 5 starters while Del
Rio graduated 7 starters and several key bench players. But both teams still had two of
the most electrifying scoring forwards in LBJ's Janet Cazares, who scored 4 goals in the
opening game, and Del Rio's two-time defending District MVP Clarissa Leon. So this
was the soccer guru's "GIRLS' SOCCER GAME OF THE WEEK".
the Student Activity Center(SAC). One of the teams was the always playoff bound LBJ
Lady Wolves while the other was the defending District Champions Del Rio Queens.
Both teams were coming off dominating wins in their opening district game, LBJ beat the
Eagle Pass Lady Eagles 5-1 and the Del Rio Queens trounced CC Winn 6-0. Both
teams lost several key players from last year's team, LBJ graduated 5 starters while Del
Rio graduated 7 starters and several key bench players. But both teams still had two of
the most electrifying scoring forwards in LBJ's Janet Cazares, who scored 4 goals in the
opening game, and Del Rio's two-time defending District MVP Clarissa Leon. So this
was the soccer guru's "GIRLS' SOCCER GAME OF THE WEEK".
