Some connections are so good it would be foolish not to keep
going back to the well for more.
Bruce Ocana and Jorge Sanchez connected on a goal in the first
half of Saturday’s game at Oak Grove, which also served as a
Homestead Christmas Cup Round of 16 contest, to help Gilroy win 1-0
and make a second straight appearance in the Cup quarterfinals.
SAN JOSE – Some connections are so good it would be foolish not to keep going back to the well for more.
Bruce Ocana and Jorge Sanchez connected on a goal in the first half of Saturday’s game at Oak Grove, which also served as a Homestead Christmas Cup Round of 16 contest, to help Gilroy win 1-0 and make a second straight appearance in the Cup quarterfinals. It was the fourth time the pair have hooked up for a goal this season. Ocana has three assists, the third coming Saturday, to Sanchez’s one, which came in the first game of the season, a 4-1 win at Seaside.
“The formation that we play is really suitable for those two guys,” Gilroy coach Armando Padilla said. “They have to play off of each other, and when they do play off of each other, we have scoring opportunities.”
Both have scored at an incredible pace so far this season.
Ocana, a senior captain, has an astounding five goals and six assists in just seven games. Sanchez, only a sophomore, leads the team with six goals.
With a solid scouting report entering the game, Padilla and company had a good idea how to take advantage of Oak Grove, despite the Eagles’ stellar reputation coming into the game as the No. 1 seed.
“We just planned and prepared for their style of play and shut them down,” Padilla said. “We knew they were a pretty weak defensive unit and with a little bit of pressure on their four backs, they were going to give up the ball. (We said), ‘Any time their four defenders have the ball, we have to pressure them.’
Just 15 minutes in, Ocana seized the moment by taking the ball from an Oak Grove defender and sliding a pass over to Sanchez. The striker, standing at the top of the box, placed the ball perfectly into the bottom corner of the net. The final 75-plus minutes went scoreless.
Padilla said the victory wasn’t achieved easily, as the Eagles applied pressure on the Mustangs’ backline all game, especially in the final minutes.
“I have to give credit to our four defenders: Victor Garcia, Jorge Montano, Jose Luis Lopez and Aldofo Aldana,” he said. “Those four guys in particular just shut Oak Grove down. But overall, our team defense was really what won us that game.”
Gilroy is now 5-1-1 on the season. Its next contest will be Saturday at 4 p.m. against No. 2 seed Palo Alto. The game will once again be played at Grove High School in San Jose. The time is subject to change,
The Mustangs’ last game of 2008 will be an alumni game held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 23. The game will be played under the lights at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex in Gilroy.
