By RGVFútbol/Staff

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McALLEN, 18 Nov. - As a famous song by renowned Mexican composer and artist José Alfredo Jiménez goes, "you don’t have to get there first, but you have to know how to get there."

That refrain seemed to personify the Golden Rattlers this year. Without having finished the past two regular seasons in first place, and for the second consecutive time, the Rattlers lifted the South Texas Premier Soccer Association 18-and-Under championship. This time around it was a 2-1 victory over the Águilas in the Fall League title match, held on Nov. 17.

"It’s been two really exciting seasons and I’m proud of the effort that the kids gave all year," said Golden Rattlers head coach Gerardo Garza. "We didn’t end the regular season in first place, but that’s not important. Winning the championship and continuing to develop our players were some of our objectives, and we accomplished them."

“The opportunity that the league gave our players to continue to play, play together as a unit, and continue to develop is really important, and benefits them greatly,” added the two-time 18-and-Under league champion head coach.

A penalty kick by Brandon Longoria and an own goal scored by the Águilas gave the win and the title to the Golden Rattlers. Alán Hernández scored for the Águilas in the first seconds of the second half to temporarily equalize the match 1-1.

The Golden Rattlers (7-1-2) ended the STXPSA Fall League with 22 points overall after finishing the regular season in fourth place. The Rattlers advanced to the postseason with a 3-2 victory over the Lobos in the regular-season finale and went on to defeat the top-seeded Bulldogs 2-1 in the semifinals.

It’s not the first time the Golden Rattlers have won the 18-and-Under title without being the top-seeded team in the league. The Rattlers ended the 2012 Summer League regular season in third place, qualified to playoffs, and defeated the Tigres in the championship match in July.

With the Fall League title game loss, the Águilas (6-2-2, 20 points) finished as the league's runnerup. It’s the Águilas’ second runnerup spot in three seasons, which it also claimed in the 2011 Summer League season after falling to the Tigres in the championship match.

In the Fall League semifinals, the Águilas edged out the No. 3-seeded Jaguares to advance to the final against the No. 4-seeded Golden Rattlers.

In the battle for third place, the Jaguares defeated the Bulldogs 2-0. With the win over the canine squad, the Jags finished out the season with a 6-1-3 record for 19 points overall, while the Bulldogs closed out the Fall season with a 5-2-3 mark and 17 points.

Marco Perales and Ángel Rivera scored the game-winning goals for the Jaguares.

In the Copita consolation tournament final, the Panteritas defeated the Golden Rattlers "B" squad 2-0 in penalty kicks. Both teams played to a scoreless draw in regulation time.

"We saw some quality soccer in the final three matches of the season," said STXPSA co-organizer Miguel Puente. "The expansion of the 18-and-Under league definitely produced a lot of positive results this fall."

"It's been a great year for everyone involved in the league," added STXPSA co-organizer Ed Salas. "Everyone gave it their all in the finals and you can't ask for more than that. We've seen the teams develop over the course of the summer and fall seasons, and the teams had fun in the process, which are some of the main goals for the 18-and-Under leagues."

For more information about the STXPSA 18-and-Under boys and girls leagues, visit www.stxpsa.com.