Special to RGVFútbol

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PHARR, 25 Jun. - A combination of results let Tigres rip away first place from the Jaguares’ claws and finish as the sole undefeated team and regular-season leader in the last week of the regular season of the South Texas Premier Soccer Association 18-and-Under Summer League, that also saw the playoff picture come together.

The four teams that qualified for the playoffs are Tigres, Jaguares, Golden Rattlers, and Indios. Tigres faces Indios, and Jaguares takes on Golden Rattlers next Saturday, June 30 in the semifinals. The semis and championship will be decided in single-elimination matches.

Defending league champion Tigres (6-2-0, 20 points) defeated Lobos 5-0 in the Week 8 season finale to maintain their undefeated status and take over first place in the Summer League standings. On the other hand, Jaguares (6-1-1, 19) suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Chivas Royal in a 2-1 loss.

Tigres striker José Ángel Soto tallied two scores (21’ and 78’) to increase his total to 14, which gave him the Summer League’s 2012 goal-scoring title.

Israel Lince (60’), José Aranda (67’) and Erick Martínez (79’) scored the other goals in the Tigres’ victory. Tigres secured their playoff spot in Week 7 along with Jaguares.

A festival of goals were scored in the Golden Rattlers’ 5-4 win over the Raiders. The win sealed the Golden Rattlers’ (5-2-1) third place finish with 17 ponts and guaranteed them a playoff berth.

Strikers Daniel García (27’ and 38’) and Eduardo Pastrana (26’ and 37’) spotted the Golden Rattlers a 4-0 lead before halftime, and Brandon Longoria increased the lead to 5-1 in the 57th minute.

The Raiders rallied and came within 5-4 with five minutes remaining in the match. However, the damage was too much for the Raiders to overcome and the Golden Rattlers pulled out a hurried victory to end the regular season.

Erick Villanueva (46’), Juan Lacherino (60’), Aldo Beltrán (69’), and Marco Salinas (75’) scored the goals for the Raiders, who will get a chance to revindicate themselves in the Consolation Tournament next Saturday.

In other matches, Indios (5-1-1) defeated the Piratas to claim the last playoff spot with 16 points. Mission tied 2-2 with Javelinas in a pivotal match that left them out of the postseason, while Coyotes fell 2-0 to Panteritas. Mission was last season’s runnerup and Coyotes was a semifinalist in 2011.