Maybe everyone should come off the bench.
For the second straight game, the Gilroy High boys’ soccer team
was boosted in the second half by a reserve
– a pair of reserves, in fact.
Maybe everyone should come off the bench.
For the second straight game, the Gilroy High boys’ soccer team was boosted in the second half by a reserve – a pair of reserves, in fact.
Everardo Diaz De Leon and Ben Alcantar missed Wednesday’s practice with an excused absence, but the Mustang coaches decided to sit them in the first half.
So all they did after halftime was come out and connect on the game’s only goal, a score 14 minutes into the half that proved to be the difference in Gilroy’s 1-0 win at Burlingame.
On the score, midfielder Alcantar took the ball down the middle of the field and found Diaz De Leon inside the left part of the box. The senior forward finished it off for his team-leading eighth goal of the season.
“It got me mad,” Alcantar said of his benching to start the match, “so I came into the game trying to prove something.”
In the team’s 3-0 win over Santa Cruz Tuesday, Joel Vera came off the bench in the second half and was the sparkplug behind a pair of goals.
For the Mustangs (7-1-1), the win over Burlingame was the second straight victory over a Central Coast Section contender. The Panthers finished third at last year’s CCS D2 finals.
And despite the 1-0 score, Gilroy “just dominated the game,” said co-head coach Brian Hall, crediting the midfield in particular. Burlingame didn’t get a shot off in the second half, and had only two for the entire game.
“I’m really proud of the boys,” co-head coach Brian Hall said. “This preseason schedule has not been an easy one. We’ve played really tough competition so far.”
Nevertheless, Hall said he’s hoping his team, which isn’t scheduled to play again until the league opener Jan. 7, can still squeeze in one more tough game until then – maybe even the much-anticipated and much-delayed Watsonville match.
“I hope we can get one more in,” Hall said. “We’re really playing great right now. They’ve really come together. The guys are working hard.”
