Also the latest in girls’ soccer and boys’ hoops
Blame it on the rain.
The much-anticipated boys’ soccer game between Gilroy and the country’s top-ranked team, Watsonville, was postponed early Thursday afternoon for fear of unsafe playing conditions.
Two straight days of rain – in addition to the Wildcatz’ game with Salinas last night – made the decision “a no-brainer,” WHS head coach Roland Hedgepath said.
“Last night it was a perfect field,” he noted. “But today I put my foot down and it was covered by water.”
Gilroy captain Alfonso Motagalvan said he understood the decision, but that didn’t make things any less frustrating.
“I woke up this morning saying we we’re going to win,” Motagalvan said. “And just looking on the other guys’ faces … we wanted to play today.”
“It’s frustrating because we prepared hard for this team. Everyone was ready. We were completely focused on them and pretty excited.”
Although also clearly disappointed, GHS co-head coach Armando Padilla, whose team plays at Seaside tonight, said he “didn’t put up much of a fight” when he received the news.
“Ultimately it’s their call – and it’s safety first,” he said. “The sloppy field wouldn’t have made for a very technical game anyway. As long as we get the game in sometime, I’m happy with it.”
That’s the catch, though. Both coaches tentatively re-scheduled the game for Monday night at 6, but a busy week at Watsonville might endanger the match altogether.
The Wildcatz already have games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday and are set to leave Friday for the prestigious Admiral Invitational in Florida, which begins the next day.
The trip is forcing the ‘Catz players to take final exams early and Hedgepath said he’s debating whether his players can survive four games, final exams and a cross-country flight all in one week.
“The main thing is finals,” he said. “That’s what concerns me.”
Tale of two halves
For awhile, the Gilroy girls’ soccer team hung tough at Aptos Tuesday. It was a scoreless game at halftime and the Mustangs put themselves in position for several scoring opportunities.
In the opening minutes of the second half, though, the Mariners struck fast with back-to-back goals, which proved to be enough in a 3-0 victory.
“We were a little hesitant (at the start of the second half) and it put us in a hole,” GHS head coach Jose Hernandez said. “That made it tough for us.”
Due to injury, the Mustangs were also playing without three key contributors: Alysha Davis, Brittany Barnes and Kendra Sato.
“It was a hard game for us, but a good learning experience,” Hernandez said. “I was pleased that we fixed a lot of the mistakes we’d made in the first two losses.”
Gilroy (7-3) looks to rebound with today’s 3:30 home game against Seaside High.
A Seaslide for hoops
Until the fourth quarter, all was well.
During Tuesday night’s game at Seaside, the GHS boys’ basketball team led the Spartans by four at the end of the first quarter. The Mustangs led by five at halftime and by as many as nine in the third.
The lead was just 41-39 lead heading into the final quarter, though. And “there weren’t too many bright spots” in the fourth, head coach Bud Ogden said.
In addition to giving up 27 points, the Mustangs turned it over 10 times in the face of a stepped-up Spartan press. Seaside ended up pulling away to a 66-58 victory. Senior guard Vince Mitre and junior center Ryan Chisolm led GHS with 10 points apiece.
“It was just a rat race,” Ogden said. “They pressed us and we just kind of fell apart.”
The second-year coach did say his team picked up Wednesday with a “spirited” practice. And as the Mustangs (3-2) begin play in the eight-team Valley Christian Tournament with tonight’s 6:30 game against traditionally tough Woodside High, Ogden said he expects – or at least hopes – his group will bounce back strong.
“We better,” he said, “or we’ll get it handed to us.”
