Gutierrez, Alvarez anxious to start senior college season

Emmanuel Gutierrez and Jose Alvarez, friends since childhood, are about to begin their senior seasons on the soccer team at Newman University in Wichita, Kan.

Both are 2004 high school graduates - Gutierrez from Porter and Alvarez from Hanna.

Now, as their final season of soccer on the college level approaches, they would like to make the most of it while letting people in the Midwest know about the quality of soccer players that South Texas pro-duces.

"We look at it as being on a mission to expand the soccer tradition of Brownsville elsewhere and to let other people know that Brownsville student-athletes have the capacity to play at any level," said the 5-foot-9, 157-pound Gutierrez, who was a four-year standout at goalkeeper for the Cowboys.

Porter reached the Region IV-4A finals in Gutierrez's senior year and barely lost to Lopez 1-0 as the Lobos went on to win the Class 4A state title.

The men's soccer team at Newman is coming off a losing season and Gutierrez and Alvarez, both all-district performers in high school, would like nothing better than to go out as winners. Newman has just completed a transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II competition.

"Hopefully, we can do great things this year," said Alvarez, a 5-6, 155-pound midfielder. "What I didn't get to do at Hanna (win a championship) in my last year, I would like to do at Newman. We just want to go over there and perform the best we can, and represent Brownsville and the Valley, too."

Alvarez played soccer at Porter as a freshman and then transferred to Hanna, where he played on the junior varsity as a sophomore. He was a varsity starter for Hanna in the midfield and on defense as a junior and senior.

"I've learned a lot (at Newman), and I also learned a lot from Coach Juan de Dios Garcia (at Hanna)," he said. "I thank him a lot. He was hard on his players, but now I can see why. It helped me."

Alvarez is a history major who plans to return home after his graduation from Newman to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Texas at Brownsville.

Gutierrez, a criminal justice major, hopes to have a chance to play soccer professionally after gradua-tion.

"First and foremost, I thank God for the ability he has given me to play soccer," Gutierrez said. "I have high expectations for my senior year. Since my freshman year when I completed a successful season (as an all-conference selection), I haven't stopped representing Brownsville. I just want to finish on a good note.

"My dream since I was a little kid has been to go somewhere and try out (as a pro)," he added. "I know and my coach (Cliff Brown) knows that I have the ability to move on. If I don't try, it'll be a mistake. So I want to look for an opportunity on the next level. I just pray that it will happen."

Gutierrez said if his attempt to play pro soccer doesn't work out, he'll quite likely return to Brownsville, too.

"I'll have my (criminal justice) degree, so I'll have Plan B, and that might mean coming home," he said. "It gets a little too cold over there for me."

Both players said they have appreciated the chance to go outside the Rio Grande Valley for their col-lege educations.

"I know it's tough getting out (of South Texas), but it makes you a better person," Alvarez said.