Forty minutes was all it took to decide Thursday’s game between
the Alvarez Eagles and the Gilroy High varsity boys soccer team.
All four goals in the contest – a 3-1 Gilroy victory – were scored
in the first half.
Forty minutes was all it took to decide Thursday’s game between the Alvarez Eagles and the Gilroy High varsity boys soccer team.
All four goals in the contest – a 3-1 Gilroy victory – were scored in the first half.
Six minutes into the action, Anthony Velasquez gave the Mustangs a lead they would never relinquish by volleying a pass flicked on by a Kevin Grove header into the net.
“That kind of set the tempo for us right there,” Gilroy co-head coach Brian Hall said.
Two minutes later, Bruce Ocana one-timed a right-footed volley from eight yards out, beating the Eagles’ keeper to the top left corner. The play was assisted by Jorge Sanchez, who headed the ball into space off an Oscar Zuniga corner kick.
Alvarez trimmed the lead to one with a goal in the 27th minute, but just 10 minutes later Jose Armando Hernandez made what Hall described as “a professional style goal.”
Ocana got the ball on the right side of the penalty area and juked two defenders on the dribble while entering the box. Edgar Hernandez, playing in just his second game this season, then took a pass from Ocana at the top-center of the box. With defenders closing in, Edgar Hernandez faked left before dropping the ball off to his right, to a streaking Jose Armando Hernandez. In full stride, he blasted the ball high and left, slipping the shot just inside the upper ‘V’ of the goal.
“All three goals were volley type, one-touch shots,” Hall said. “As a coaching staff we were really happy because [Wednesday] that was all we focused on.”
According to the final goal scorer, the practice payed off as the Mustangs showed more aggression Thursday than they did in a 1-1 tie against Alisal earlier in the week.
“I think the difference in this game was we attacked the ball,” Jose Armando Hernandez said. “We ran at them. We played an attacking style of soccer.”
He added that the addition of Edgar Hernandez, no relation, could be what puts Gilroy over the top in their quest for repeat Tri-County Athletic League and Central Coast Section titles.
“Edgar did a great job for us today,” Jose Armando Hernandez said. “I think he’s the guy that can make a difference and he showed it today.”
Gilroy is now 11-3-5 overall, 4-0-3 in league. With the win over the Eagles, the Mustangs now holds sole possession of second place in the TCAL behind Alisal.
Gilroy’s next match will be at home Saturday at 10 a.m. against San Benito. The junior varsity contest will follow at Noon.
Girls Soccer
Salinas
Gilroy High’s varsity girls soccer team isn’t flawless in league anymore, but it is still undefeated.
Alisal became the first Tri-County Athletic League opponent to score a goal against the Mustangs this season, tying the TCAL front-runners in a 1-1 draw in Salinas Wednesday.
The first goal of the game came in the first half off a free kick awarded to Alisal after a hand ball call. Standing 40 yards outside the box, an Alisal player uncorked a beauty of a shot that sailed into the net.
The Mustangs returned the favor in the second half by putting together several nice give-and-go passes between Indra Garcia, Kristi Figueroa and Sara Hugo. With the defense out of sorts, Garcia put the final touch on the ball to make the game all-square.
“That was just beautiful ball work between (Garcia) and Kristi,” Hernandez said. “Sara made a beautiful run and then they passed a few more times. [Garcia] had an open shot and finished it off.”
While Gilroy (6-4-3 overall, 5-0-1 league) remains atop the TCAL standings by several games, Hernandez said Wednesday’s match showed a lack of intensity while preparing for the match.
“It’s a game that had we been working harder the last few days, we should have won.,” Hernandez said. “We got what we practiced for.”
The Mustangs will have a chance to get back to their winning ways today at 6 p.m. when they host Alvarez.
