Photos courtesy of Cartershots
The Pampa Lady Harvesters (4-11-1, 4-6-1) kept playoff hopes alive on Friday as they redeemed the last-second tie from earlier in February to beat the Lady Whitefaces 1-0.
Junior Aliyah Acosta had a clean sheet, earning her first win as a goalkeeper, while freshman Chloe’Ezmae Larrazolo assisted by sophomore Perla Hernandez.
Perla Hernandez
“This win was crucial,” Head Coach Brennan McGinty said. “It was the first time all year true pressure has been applied to the girls in the form of a must-win game. It was a tough environment to play in but the girls never faltered.”
As playoff hopes hang in the balance, the Lady Harvesters didn’t let the moment get too big for them and just played their game.
“The biggest difference, in my opinion, was we looked more comfortable and didn't let ourselves become bigger than the game,” McGinty said.
“Hereford kept moving players around trying to make something work and you could feel how desperate they were getting. We just played our game and once we had the lead, we settled in and controlled the rest of the night.”
McGinty was asked to name a player who hasn’t gotten much spotlight, but stands out regardless of playing time. McGinty noted Hernandez’ growth in speed and footwork and Junior Alexis Rocha’s stepping up with speed off the bench.
But Junior Carissa Leal’s effort, leadership and game-changing throw ins have been big.
“Carissa is the true definition of an energy player,” McGinty said. “She will give you every ounce of effort she has the entire game. She defends as well as possible. She tries to play the ball up to her teammates and has no issues with her name never being on the stat sheet.
Carissa Leal
“However, the biggest asset she's brought to the table is her throw-ins. She can launch the ball and flip the field quickly. I can't tell you the number of times she's put us in goal-scoring opportunities because she can clear the last defender with a throw-in."
The Lady Harvesters will play the second of their two-game road trip when they travel to Perryton on Thursday looking to finish the season sweep over the Rangerettes.
“We just have to play our game,” McGinty said. “Last time we played Perryton, I felt we left four goals on the board. We can't do that again. We are much improved from that night, and a win will get us to that fourth place spot we are fighting Dumas and Canyon for.”