Team Patchwork searched 74 minutes for an offense.But once was
not enough and Gilroy had to settle for a 1-1 Tri-County Athletic
League tie with Alisal at Garcia-Elder Complex.
Gilroy – Team Patchwork searched 74 minutes for an offense.
But once was not enough and Gilroy had to settle for a 1-1 Tri-County Athletic League tie with Alisal at Garcia-Elder Complex.
The Mustangs started with two substitutes available and had only one by the end of the game. Sara Hugo and Nery Arteaga played defender for the first time. And Alicia Reese was in the goal for the first time.
It was a classic case of mix-and-match because one defender was ill, another sat out because of being red-carded a game earlier, and a third had to leave at halftime to take care of personal business.
Somehow, Gilroy (5-5-4 overall, 2-1-3 TCAL) held together and took a 1-0 lead with six minutes remaining in the game.
Amanda Bruce sent a long pass off a counter attack that was right at the feet of Ariane Vera. The sophomore forward faked the keeper out of the net and scored easily.
But Alisal (4-8-2, 2-2-2) got the tying goal less than two minutes later, much to coach Jose Hernandez’s chagrin.
“We know we can do better,” Hernandez said. “We haven’t played to where we’re supposed to play. We’re still trying to find our pieces, to continue to build on our strengths.”
GHS had a corner kick in the first minute of the game. Other than Bruce’s hard shot 22 minutes into the game that rattled off the crossbar, the Mustangs had few offensive opportunities in the first half.
It was the same for Alisal as the game was played mainly in the middle of the field.
“We’ve got to learn not to get frustrated,” Hernandez said. “We’ve got to learn not to play to our frustrations or emotions.”
The Mustangs begin the second half of their TCAL schedule Thursday at Alvarez.
