The Gilroy boys soccer team stepped up a level this year and was immediately competitive. The Mustangs had succeeded in the “C” level West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and it was time for new challenges.
Gilroy navigated a competitive pre-season, then faced new hurdles in the “B” level Santa Teresa South Division. The Mustangs finished the year 8-10-1 overall, 4-6 in league play. That gave them a fourth-place finish, a half-game behind Sobrato and a half-game ahead of Live Oak.
In head-to-head matches, the Mustangs won three of four against their Morgan Hill friends, beating Sobrato 2-0 and 5-3, edging the Acorns 1-0 but losing the rematch 3-0. Powerful Christopher won the league and defeated Gilroy twice, though the Mustangs gave them a battle in a 2-1 season-ending contest.
The strength of the Mustangs came with the midfield trio of Nova Padilla, Juan Quiroz and Alejandro Aparicio-Cuevas. Other key contributors included Alejandro Vasquez, Ian Honeycutt, Santiago Arvizu, Diego Fuentes, Bryan Rodriguez Garcia, David Bushman, Cristhian Triana, Uziel Hernandez and stellar defender Luis Curiel.
Isaac Olivares held down the fort in goal. Additional depth contributions came from Jorge Leyva, Andre Maciel, Diego De Jesus Perez and Diego Rodriguez.
Scoring was evenly distributed among many players. Quiroz, Aparicio-Cuevas, Vasquez, Padilla, Arvizu and Triana were at the top of the goal-scoring statistics.
“Our three captains (Nova Padilla, Quiroz, Aparicio-Cuevas) play in the midfield,” said coach Armando Padilla, after a victory during the latter part of the season. “They engineer us and are the spirit of the team. We are looking to get our guys a bit more wide and get more 1-1s. In the season, we have begun cleaning up our passes and decision-making. Our effort is improving.”
The Mustangs battled hard in the pre-season, recording a 4-4-1 record. Wins came over Sobrato 3-1, Yerba Buena 1-0, Silver Creek 3-1 and Christo Rey San Jose Jesuit 2-1.
Gilroy successfully launched league play in the new division in mid-January with shutout victories at Live Oak 1-0 and at Sobrato 2-0. Against the Acorns, Bushman scored on an assist from Rodriguez-Garcia. In the match with the Bulldogs, Aparicio-Cuevas and Quiroz scored, with assists coming from Padilla and Rodriguez-Garcia.
However, a rough patch followed. The Mustangs fell to Santa Teresa, Leland, Christopher and Live Oak. Coach Padilla changed the team strategy, and it paid off. On Feb. 3, Gilroy rocketed out to a 4-1 halftime lead versus Sobrato and pasted the Bulldogs 5-3.
“We changed our formation,” coach Padilla said. “Be more attack-oriented and do better at getting more players up field. Move forward more and create more opportunities. It’s nice to get on the winning side of things. This helps salvage our season.”
There was an avalanche of goals as the Mustangs attacked the Sobrato back line. Aparicio-Cuevas scored twice and Quiroz, Bushman and Honeycutt each hit the back of the net. Assists came from Quiroz, Leyva, Arvizu, De Jesus Perez and Rodriguez Garcia.
“The new form helped,” Nova Padilla said. “We are more attack-oriented. It puts pressure on their back line. It’s exciting to get the win.”
When Sobrato closed the deficit to 4-3 in the second half, the Mustangs replied. Padilla and Quiroz brought the ball upfield and into the box. The Bulldogs goalkeeper stopped the first shot but Honeycutt had joined the rush and scored on the rebound.
“We played as a team and we combined passes,” Aparicio-Cuevas said. “We finished plays. And we finished strong in the second half.”
Gilroy had come out energized and aggressive. They pushed hard throughout. The Mustangs won 1-on-1 balls and put Sobrato back on their heels. The results ended up in the net for scores.
“We shared the ball, played with effort and changed our mindset,” Quiroz said. “We showed more passion on the field.”
The Mustangs concluded the season with a loss to Silver Creek, a 3-0 smashing of Leland and a competitive 2-1 defeat to league titlist Christopher.
The finale against the rival Cougars illustrated the team’s improvement during the course of the year. CHS would later reach the Central Coast Section Division III finals, losing only in PKs to Del Mar. Those Del Mar Dons later added the NorCal Division IV title to their CCS crown and were CIF State runner-up.
The future looks bright for Gilroy. Although several key players are seniors, Quiroz and three others are sophomores and Bushman and De Jesus Perez are freshmen. The standard of play at the “B” level has been established and the late-season surge illustrated the team’s capability and potential.
