Rouse ends Memorial season in regional semifinal

Lilly Arellano scored with 11:07 remaining in the first half and Leander Rouse added two more goals in the second half, ending McAllen Memorial’s’ dream season with a 3-0 victory during the UIL Region IV -5A girls soccer tournament at Brownsville Sports Park on Friday.

Rouse will play the winner of Leander High and McAllen High for the regional championship at 9:30 a.m. Saturday

McAllen Memorial’s Gabriela Nunez, right, yells during a defensive stance with goalie Karen Oviedo, left , against Leander Rouse during the Region IV-5A girls’ soccer semis AT Brownsville Sports Park Friday, April 05 2024 in Brownsville, Tx. (Delcia Lopez| dlopez@themonitor.com)

The powerful Mustangs’ won the District 31-5A title this year, ending McAllen High’s eight-year streak. Their high-powered offense was a goal-scoring factory all season. During the playoffs, Mcallen Memorial scored nine goals in each of their first three games. That run was shut down by a technically sound Raiders’ squad that used the width of the field to wear down the Mustangs.

“They played the ball very well and they don’t hold on to it,” McAllen Memorial head coach Matthew Kaiser said. “We don’t play that kind of team except a couple of times a season and its really hard to practice for a team that technical

“Still, I’m very proud of the girls. It’s tough to get here. To get here is an accomplishment in itself.”

The Mustangs rarely had to play while behind this year, the most recent time occurring during the second district against McHi, and giving up the first goal seemed to have knock the air out of them, at least for the remainder of the first half. The Mustangs also missed a few opportunities in the first half. Kennedy Kaiser hit the goal post on one shot and the rebound shot attempt from in front of the goal was blocked by a defender.

“We haven’t had to play from behind many times this season and we had some young girls out there,” said Kaiser, whose team went undefeated in District 31-5A and was steamrolling opponents, especially during the second half of the season. “That can be mentally tough to play against knowing time is ticking away.”

Rouse controlled most of the second half, even against the wind, and it looked as if Memorial was chasing the ball for most of the time. It was a strategy that Kaiser kept telling his team to try to avoid, but with time winding down, the Mustangs started playing in desperation, just trying to get the ball back.

Shelby Wilson made it 2-0 with 17:01 remaining in the match and freshman JJ Arellano scored 10 minutes later to seal the Raiders’ victory.

“It was tough on a big soccer field against a team that possesses it well,” Kaiser said. “We tried go have a game plan to keep it small on the ends, but we have no control over the width.”

hmiller@themonitor.com

The post Rouse ends Memorial season in regional semifinal appeared first on MyRGV.com.