By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
On Friday, Jan. 24, the Port Isabel Tarpons traveled to La Feria for a district showdown and came away victorious as they managed to shut out the Lions, 3-0. The win marks the second district win on the road as the Tarpons had previously beaten Rio Hondo (5-1) earlier in the week.
The Tarpons had a rough start to the season, but with a week off to prepare for district play, the team put in some hard work during practice and finally broke their losing streak.
Head captain Joaquin Leon Pena scored three goals (a “hat-trick”) against Rio Hondo, and two goals versus La Feria. Other players who scored in district play were Daniel Childress, Tony Garcia and Domnic
“Panama” Acosta.
“The boys want it, and I think they are going to peak at the right time. We have faced tough opponents in the preseason like Brownsville Porter and Sharyland Pioneer, and I believe they are going to continue to
improve as we proceed throughout the season,” said coach Ortiz.
The Tarpons kicked off the season competing at the Brownsville Showcase. In the tournament, the Tarpons secured an impressive 2-0 win over last season’s district champion, Brownsville Jubilee. Scoring for the
Tarpons was co-captain and starting goalkeeper, Luis “Pechuga” Ulloa and Acosta. Ulloa’s tremendous play at the goal earned him All-District Goalkeeper honors last season.
Continuing to face stiff competition, the Tarpons ended up losing their next two games to Sharyland Pioneer (3-0) and Brownsville Porter (3-0). On a side note, Pioneer went on to win the championship bracket.
Then prior to district play, the Tarpons participated in the Santa Maria tournament, a tourney they won last season. Unfortunately, the team ended up losing to IDEA Frontier (2-0) and IDEA Pharr (3-0).
Several returning Tarpon players have changed positions and taken on new roles this season. With the addition of new players, the team was still trying to find the right combination on the field. Evaluating his team at the midway point, coach Ortiz believes his players “have grown and matured as a team” and have “shown significant promise.”
Regarding differences between last season and now, Ulloa said, “We’re more of a passing team now. We communicate better and stay calm under pressure. Spectators should see how we’ve improved since last year and be impressed by our teamwork. My expectations are to win games and play like a team. Winning district would be amazing, but that’s only possible if we play together. I’m confident we’ll win district and make a deep playoff run.”
The Tarpons look forward to continuing their winning streak when they take on IDEA Riverview on Friday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m. at Tarpon Stadium.