Porter had already locked up its 10th consecutive postseason appearance when the coronavirus pandemic halted the 2020 soccer season.
The Spartans, who haven’t missed the playoffs since the school’s inception, are hungry for more success in 2021, especially after a long pandemic-induced layoff.
“It is perfect,” coach Luis Valle said of the return to the field. “We were missing that. We are ready to start the season. We are very, very confident.”
While Porter has a tradition of success, it will need to be carried on by a relatively inexperienced group in the new season.
Denise Gomez and Atliy Kolodziejski were both all-county selections that graduated. Breonna Bowden, Felicity Fritsch and Irma Hernandez were also key players on the team that was slated for a top four finish.
“Last season, we were third,” Valle said. “It was much better than prior years. But I lost 10 seniors, so this team is going to be new. We do have chemistry. They are young players, but they’ve been playing well with possession and working as a team.”
Gomez was the leader of the group. The new captain was an easy choice, per Valle.
“Last year, Denise was a leader,” he said. “This year, the group picked a captain in Citlali Martinez. I didn’t have to wait for the beginning of the season. That was something good. I’ve had a captain since the first or second week. With leadership right now, there’s no hole. We covered the position Denise left.”
Valle expects defense to be a strong point, with a three-person back line and a pair of stoppers. Martinez will play left back, Heidee Benitez will line up in the middle and Yidai Sifuentes will be on the right. A pair of young players in freshman Ana Martinez and sophomore Rose Kasprzyk will be the stoppers.
Nicolle Valle, a senior and the coach’s daughter, is expected to fill Gomez’s role as primary goal scorer. But Ana Martinez may contribute, and a goal is a goal to the head coach.
“(Ana) is one of my stoppers because she’s fast, but when she receives the ball, she scores,” Luis Valle said. “When it’s not a striker, sometimes it’s an ugly goal, but it doesn’t matter — the ball gets into the net.”
A year ago, District 20-5A was a 10-team gauntlet with 18 games. Porter fared well. Tomball, Willis and Grand Oaks all jumped up to Class 6A, while Huntsville moved to a different 5A district.
Valle is confident his team can succeed in a slightly different field that features Caney Creek, Cleveland, Dayton, Kingwood Park, Lake Creek, Montgomery and rival New Caney.
“Our main concern is K-Park, and we want to beat them this year,” he said. “What I saw from last year from Coach (George) Hourahan, Lake Creek is coming with a strong team. They lost a lot of seniors, but the JV team was very good. Lake Creek and Caney Creek are both fighters, so that’s a concern. Also our rival from the district, New Caney, with a new coach. I think we will have to fight in order to get one of the four positions.”
jmaskulinski@hcnonline.com
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GIRLS SOCCER: Porter aiming for continued success with new roster - Houston Chronicle
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