A weary, but happy group of Gilroy High boys soccer players
walked off the field Tuesday night.
San Jose
A weary, but happy group of Gilroy High boys soccer players walked off the field Tuesday night. The Mustangs, playing their fifth game in a week, recorded a 1-1 tie against Lincoln in the quarterfinals of the Homestead Christmas Cup, but were able to move on to the semifinals after winning the match in penalty kicks 5-4.
“Our guys were pretty wiped out, but they really hung tough,” said Gilroy coach Armando Padilla. “We’ve had to focus on things we’re doing and not let our minds wander. It’s more of a mental game at this point.”
In the penalty kicks, Gilroy (7-2-3, 1-0-1 TCAL) had goals in order by Randy Moya, Bruce Ocana, Eric Miller, Jose Armando Hernandez and Oscar Zuniga.
“I was just hoping I would make it,” Miller said of his penalty shot. “I didn’t want to miss and let everyone down. We were all tired after a long weekend. The desire is there. Everyone wants to win. We just pushed through the pain.”
“I knew the pressure was there, but I just tried to forget about it and take care of business,” said Zuniga, the last one to shoot. “I was just trying to make it like in practice. Right away, I looked at the goal and decided where I was going to put the ball, and luckily I was able to put it there.”
Gilroy got on the board first 20 minutes into the second half. Andy Moya had an indirect free kick from about 40 yards out that brother Randy headed down from about the 18. Bruce Ocana came in from left side and was able to finish off the play for the goal.
Lincoln answered with a goal after a foul with about 10 minutes left. Lincoln crossed the ball and found an open player for the score.
The Mustangs again were able to control the tempo early in the game with six corner kicks that allowed the team to get shots on goal. But just like other recent games, the team had trouble finishing.
Gilroy had a chance to score the winning goal late when Jose Armando Hernandez played a through ball to Kevin Grove. Grove beat his man but his shot from the left of the box went high.
In the final 10 minutes, action was back and forth, and neither team had a good chance to score before the game went into shootouts.
“It was our first (PK game) of the season,” Padilla said. “I am kind of glad we got one. It gives us an idea of who our shooters are because it may come down to that in the semifinals or finals.”
Gilroy will continue play in the Homestead Christmas Cup against Watsonville, which beat Yerba Buena 3-1 on Tuesday. The Mustangs, looking for their first-ever Cup finals appearance, will host the game Friday at 6:30 p.m. Last year, Gilroy lost in the round of 16 to Pajaro Valley.
“It will be good for both teams because they don’t have to travel to San Jose,” Padilla said. “[Watsonville has] been a perennial powerhouse for several years so it will be a good atmosphere for soccer. I’m sure a lot of their fans will come over.”
