Slow start dooms Mustangs in 16-6 loss
Gilroy – The Gilroy High boys’ water polo team fell behind early Tuesday against visiting Salinas and, despite a surge in the second half, never could recover.
“Salinas plays year-round,” said Mustang coach Tom Clark. “It is hard to compete against a team like that.”
The Mustangs (5-3, 2-2 TCAL) lost 16-6. They were down 7-1 after the opening period and 12-3 at the half.
But in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs started to turn it around, getting off several good shots from outside against the Cowboys, who were stacking the goal box.
“They were embarrassed in the first half,” Clark said. “They realized they couldn’t just show up. But they did better as the game went along. They were taking more outside shots. We didn’t let them set up on defense as quick. But it was too late by then.”
Eric Cunanan led the Cowboys (4-1 TCAL) with five goals. Nick Campelli and Daniel Shields had two goals each for the Mustangs.
“As the game progressed, we started to have better passing,” Shields said. “Our defense started to play better.”
“Our passing was not as good as it could have been,” echoed Eric Boe, who also scored a goal.
In the third period, Campelli had a goal on the near side of the net to draw Gilroy within 9-3, but Salinas answered right back on its next possession.
The Mustangs almost had a goal late in the third period on a nice pass from Austin Gubrud, who had a goal in the game, to Shields, who was cutting through the middle. But the Salinas defense held.
“Gilroy is tough,” said Salinas junior varsity coach Mike Bissell, who was coaching in place of suspended head coach Gary Figueroa. “They never quit. It is fun to play that type of team with the never-say-die attitude. We just started steamrolling, and they couldn’t stop our momentum.”
Gilroy, which had to drop out of a tournament in San Jose recently because of another team that dropped, will play Thursday at Robert Louis Stevenson. Clark said he is still hoping to add another tournament sometime before the final three league games are completed.
