Gilroy
– This time, there were no designer defenses aimed at shutting
down high-scoring Tannia Hernandez.
Gilroy – This time, there were no designer defenses aimed at shutting down high-scoring Tannia Hernandez.
Gilroy used a simple 4-4-2 alignment stressing “position responsibility” rather than marking the top scorer in the Tri-County Athletic League.
It worked Saturday because the Mustangs got off to a strong start and attacked most of the game in a crucial 2-0 win over the Vikings that left the top three TCAL teams separated by one point.
“Last time we had her marked,” Kristi Figueroa said of Hernandez, who entered the game with 28 goals. “This time we let her roam. We passed the ball back and forth and let her get tired.”
One of the reasons Gilroy (8-4-6 overall, 5-1-4 TCAL) is just one point behind league-leading North Salinas (10-3-7, 6-2-3) is because the Mustangs have improved their short passing. The improvement has helped the Mustangs control the flow of the game better than they did earlier in the season.
Gilroy scored both of its goals in the first half. Twelve minutes into the game, freshman Ariana Carrillo dumped a pass to Figueroa whose left-footed shot looped over goalie Chelsea Campbell and into the net. The Mustangs had a chance two minutes later, but a Figueroa header was just wide left.
Thirty minutes into the game, junior Sara Hugo emerged from a pile with the ball and booted the ball past Campbell. It was Hugo’s first goal.
“Our first half was gorgeous,” GHS coach Jose Hernandez said. “Also, I was happy with the way we finished.”
There were spots in the second half when the Vikings were on the attack, but Mustang netminder Alicia Reese positioned herself well and handled a couple of hard direct kicks from Patricia Magdaleno to earn the shutout. North Salinas had just three shots on goal, and Tannia Hernandez was never in a good enough offensive position to score.
With a game in hand, Gilroy is in position to overtake the Vikings if it is able to win its game Tuesday at home against Salinas and Thursday at Alisal. The Mustangs tied both teams during the first meeting. North Salinas finishes Thursday at home with Notre Dame in what coach Luis Torrez terms a “must win.” He had only 12 girls with him Saturday as the Vikings were battling nagging injuries.
“Nothing’s lost yet,” Torrez told his girls after the game.
“We were lucky to have only two goals against us,” Torrez said. “They’re a strong team. The opportunities weren’t there for “Tannia). But they were there on direct kicks. Unfortunately, none went in.
“It’s a three-team race. Now we put pressure on ourselves to win the last game against Notre Dame. We lost to them the first time (1-0) but I think we’ll be ready and get our girls back.”
Meanwhile, the task at hand is obvious for the Mustangs, who are tied with surprising San Benito for second place.
“Our goal is to win our first league title,” Jose Hernandez said. “We know what we have to do.”
