Key takeaways from Veterans Memorial's area round soccer match against McAllen High

Veterans Memorial's late-season surge was enough to secure the program's ninth trip to the UIL playoffs in program history.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, their memorable 2024 campaign came to an end after a 6-0 area round loss to McAllen High on Thursday at the Cabaniss Soccer Field.

Here are some takeaways from the Eagles' matchup against the Bulldogs.

Coming out strong

McAllen High never looked back after taking an early 1-0 lead, but the Eagles kept the Bulldogs at bay for most of the first half.

In fact, both teams were toe-to-toe for nearly 35 minutes until McAllen pulled away behind Juliana Millin, who registered a hat trick 35 minutes into the match. The Bulldogs added some insurance on a goal from MJ Gonzalez, who found the net with a second to spare in the 40th.

Freshman keeper Peyton Duval provided a bright spot for Eagles by recording five saves early in the match.

"Against a state caliber team like McAllen, the girls came out really strong," Veterans Memorial coach Ifiok Ofong said. "They played their heart out from the get-go and I'm so proud of the way they played. You would have never thought if you had seen us in December or January that we would be playing at this level. I'm really proud of them and the future is bright for us."

Pulling away

McAllen added two more goals in the second half behind Millin's fourth of the night and another by Gabby Gonzales to secure the victory.

The Bulldogs advanced back to the regional quarterfinals to play Gregory-Portland, who secured a 3-2 winner against Edinburg Vela.

The Eagles conclude the season winners of 10 of their final 13 games.

"We had a lot of younger team and it took a longer time to develop chemistry but once we did, it flowed really nicely," Veterans Memorial senior Madison Fennema said. "We all played really good and I'm proud of the way we ended the season."

A playoff nemesis

McAllen High and Veterans Memorial are no strangers when it comes to playoff soccer.

In fact, this is the fourth consecutive season the two teams have clashed in the postseason with the Bulldogs winning the last four matchups.

"We cannot avoid McAllen High," Ofong said. "Every year they have knocked us out so we're hoping one of these years we can be able to overcome them. They're the only team in this area that we cannot beat. Hopefully one of these days we can."

The future is bright

Veterans Memorial has made the playoffs every season since the school opened in 2015.

The Eagles are hoping to keep the tradition alive with the return of 22 players, including a handful of underclassmen.

This year's Veterans Memorial team featured six freshmen with 16 total underclassmen and two seniors.

"The offseason work is going to make a difference come next year," Ofong said. "We're just going to take it from here, work on the little things and hope for the best next season."

More: Key takeaways from Gregory-Portland's last-second win against Edinburg Vela

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: What we learned from Veterans Memorial's playoff loss to McAllen High