GILROY – The rain held off just long enough as it mockingly
awaited the start of the Gilroy High boys soccer game against
Homestead on Thursday night.
GILROY – The rain held off just long enough as it mockingly awaited the start of the Gilroy High boys soccer game against Homestead on Thursday night.
It seemed like once the whistle blew the clouds opened up and a light sprinkle turned into a
consistent shower.
However, these are soccer players and unfavorable weather is just part of the sport.
The Mustangs utilized their speed to control the pace of play in a 3-0 win, sending their record to 2-0-1 to begin the year.
“It definitely was a messy game because of the rain, but I think that we could’ve done a lot better calming the ball down,” captain Josh Gonzalez said.
Despite the soggy conditions and a slick ball scooting across the artificial surface, the Mustangs scored in the 11th minute as Victor Garcia collected a ball inside the box and chipped it in for the 1-0 lead.
“We talked in the pregame about just doing the things we talk about in practice,” head coach Armando Padilla said. “Our focus this week was getting better services and more of them.”
The Mustangs work in practice showed form in the second half as they began to distribute the ball at will, putting the pressure on Homestead’s defense.
Those crosses eventually paid
dividends.
Jorge Sanchez made it 2-0 in the 59th minute taking a pass at his feet from Jonathan Diaz De Leon and beating the keeper low and right.
“We just try to connect passes,” Diaz De Leon said. “We wanted to get it out wide and play for the crosses.”
Adolfo Rodriguez gave the Mustangs a three-goal cushion in the 69th minute, converting a penalty kick.
Goalie Chistian Lustre came up with two big saves early in the second half that helped preserve the Mustangs slim 1-0
advantage.
Homestead came out of the break with a sense of urgency and mounted one of its best offensive efforts of the night in the 42nd minute, however, Lustre was in position, and with a quick dive to his left, he smothered the rolling shot.
In the 55th minute with the game still at 1-0, Lustre left his feet, this time extending to his right, batting the ball out of harms way. He quickly recovered to his feet and snagged the rebound shot.
“There were a couple times where we lost the ball and they could have countered on us,” Gonzalez said. “But he made the right reads and saved us basically.”
Gilroy faces Palo Alto as part of the month-long Homestead Christmas Cup on Saturday at Oak Grove.
