McLane High bounces back from early deficit to advance to CIF Section Div. IV title game

McLane High didn’t get much respect as a No. 9 seed in the CIF Central Section Division IV boys soccer playoffs.

The team certainly grabbed attention after a surprising 2-0 win over No. 1 seed Farmersville High in the quarterfinals, and is one win away from capturing the section title following a 4-2 semifinal win against host Selma High on a chilly Tuesday evening.

However, McLane High head coach Erik Rodríguez wants his team to be known much more than as a giantkiller.

“I want to put McLane on the map,” said Rodríguez after his team bounced back from a 1-0 deficit in the opening 9 minutes of play. “Our league, the NYL (North Yosemite League) got disrespected with the CIF section seedings and we have a lot to prove.

“We’re out here showcasing that, hey, we’re a quality team and the NYL has a ton of quality teams,” he added. “We deserve a lot of respect for our league.”

McLane, now 20-9, is one win away from the CIF Central Section Division IV championship. It travels to Fowler (19-5-1) on Friday (Feb. 25).

McLane finished 6-4 in the NYL and tied Sunnyside High for first.

The Highlanders served notice in Division IV with a 2-0 win over No. 1-seeded Farmersville last Friday. Farmersville, now 25-3-1, was consistently ranked among the section’s top 10 teams regardless of division.

Selma was no pushover. It scored in the first 9 minutes of play to take the 1-0 advantage and kept frustrating McLane’s long passes that resulted in empty threats.

That was until senior Lautaro ‘Tino’ Donoso, who moved from Argentina, took over.

After teammate Fernando Cruz had tied the game with a goal off an assist from Donoso in the 26th minute, Donoso quickly scored in the first two minutes of the second half to give McLane a lead it never gave up.

Donoso added an insurance goal in the 56th minute, and then fed teammate Adrián Salinas for another goal in the 76th minute to ice the game.

“I knew it was going to be a dogfight, man,” said Rodríguez about Selma. “They have a lot of pride over on their side.”

McLane, meanwhile, said Rodríugez “had little chip on our shoulder given the seed that we got. We came out with a lot to prove and we were able to get the victory.

Donoso, speaking in Spanish, said he was happy with the win and the chance to go for the section title.

“The game didn’t start as we planned because Selma is a strong team,” said Donoso. “We struggled on offense because Selma played six men down and it complicated our offense.”

Donoso said American soccer is looked at as simple, but noted that’s not the case.

“When you get here, you realize soccer is more complicated and it is fast-paced,” said Donoso. “It’s good soccer.”