Both squads await CCS seedings after 0-0 score to end regular
season.
MORGAN HILL – Junior netminder Oscar Garcia was a starting wing to open the season – but when duty called for him to step back between the pipes, he put his personal feelings aside and did what was best for the team.
“It was a really easy transition. I think it strengthened us even more,” head coach Albert Marquez said. “He’s so sharp and fast. We miss him a little bit in the field, but we adjusted some players so we’re still solid.”
Garcia was the starting goalie last year – but he had his finger ripped off in an accident and then surgically repaired before the season started. Garcia showed his versatility – flourishing in the field early on.
But when goalkeeper Ernesto Torres suffered a knee injury, the Gilroy coaches asked Garcia – whose finger is now fully healed – to take over the goaltending duties.
“I do miss it,” said Garcia, of playing in the field. “But it’s all about the team. If I can do it, then I’ll do it for the team.”
Garcia’s athleticism and know-how in net led the Mustangs in Tuesday’s 0-0 tie with league champ Live Oak. Garcia has only allowed two goals in one game against Hollister, while shutting out every other team he faced.
“The defense did a really good job. We shut down Live Oak, the first place team,” Marquez said. “They had some quick counters, but our goalie was able to come out and cut off the angles.”
Gilroy brings an 11-5-4 overall record and a 7-1-2 Tri-County Athletic League mark into the Central Coast Section Playoffs.
“We really wanted to come in with a win,” said Marquez, who will attend Saturday’s playoff seedings meeting. “We hope to get a 10th or 11th seed, but we’re a B-league team so we might get docked for that. We should be somewhere in the middle of the pack.”
Last season, the Mustangs lost in the first round of the playoffs on the road against finalist Watsonville by a 1-0 final.
“We have to do a better job,” said Garcia, who is one of many returning players from last year’s playoff team. “We have to give everything we have on the field and try to get to the finals.”
Gilroy’s regular-season finale against Live Oak had a playoff atmosphere as the top two T-CAL teams squared off – bringing out swarms of fans who line one side of the field. In the first meeting at Gilroy High, the Acorns won a hard-fought 2-1 decision.
“It was a battle both ways. We made some mistakes and lost some scoring opportunities, but our defense played strong,” senior fullback Danny MacPhail said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win, but I’m cool with the tie. Both teams played hard.”
The Mustangs came out a little flat in the first half as Live Oak game-planned well – denying Gilroy’s outside runs and forcing them to make some bad passes. But the Mustangs adjusted in the second half – controlling the ball in the Live Oak attack zone.
“We really struggled in the first half, but I think we played much better in the second half,” Marquez said. “We put a lot of pressure on their defense. We had a couple of opportunities and they had a couple of opportunities.”
The Acorns used a counter attack to generate their scoring opportunities. On three occasions (once in the first and twice in the second), Live Oak forwards missed crossing passes with open looks at the net.
