By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
BROWNSVILLE, TX—The San Benito Lady Greyhounds’ soccer team began the tournament portion of their schedule with an impressive showing, finishing second out of 32 teams that competed at the Brownsville ISD event.
In three days of tournament play, the Lady ’Hounds won six matches against talented Rio Grande Valley and Laredo squads to advance to the title game.
A 1-0 loss at Sams Stadium against the Donna North Lady Chiefs was their only setback.
A few weeks into the season, and SBHS has nearly matched its win total from the previous year, which saw the team finish 9-18-2.
Following the tournament, the Lady ‘Hounds are 7-4, excluding scrimmages.
“The biggest difference is the work and the mindset behind it; last year was tough, but that experience taught our group how to suffer, how to respond to adversity, and how to learn from failure instead of fearing it,” San Benito Head Coach Wilbert Padron said. “This year, we’ve added a hungry group of young freshmen who are stepping into a culture that already understands accountability and resilience.”
Padron said that being in Brownsville during a cold January weekend of competition did the players good, and he hopes that visitors to the various match sites left with a solid impression of SBHS.
“This run was built on grit, discipline, and trust in one another,” Coach Padron said. “These young ladies competed with pride and represented our school and community the right way from the opening whistle to the final minute.”
The Lady ’Hounds advanced to the title game by a one-goal margin after defeating the Brownsville Rivera Lady Raiders the same day in a semifinal match that began two hours earlier.
Donna North, the same day, defeated the Brownsville Lopez Lady Lobos, 3-2, to advance. Donna North improved its season record to 5-1.
Coach Padron said his players are fine-tuned to play the game regardless of the weather.
“Physically, we’re sharper and more prepared. We had a very intentional strength and conditioning program over the summer, and many of our players committed to summer leagues and sport-specific training,” Coach Padron said. “They showed up consistently, put in the time, and now we’re seeing that translate on the field.”
Since Brownsville’s tournament attracted more than 30 squads, each squad initially started in a four-team group stage two days earlier. SBHS was paired with the Port Isabel Lady Tarpons (won 8-1), Brownsville Porter Lady Cowboys (won 1-0), and the PSJA North Lady Raiders (won 3-1), and it showed how formidable it would be.
The Lady ’Hounds advanced to compete in three matches on the tournament’s second day at Gladys Porter High School.
By virtue of their three victories against the La Joya Lady Coyotes (2-0), the Cigarroa Lady Toros (2-1), and the Martin Lady Tigers (1-0), they advanced to the tournament’s gold bracket.
“We’ve also stayed humble. We know we’re not the best team out there, but we also know we’re not the worst. Our focus is daily improvement,” Coach Padron said.
“It’s us versus us. Every match we step on the field with one purpose: to give maximum effort. Win or lose, we evaluate honestly, learn from our mistakes, and apply those lessons immediately into the next practice and the next game. That commitment to growth and execution is what defines this group,” Pardon remarked.