When a team’s offense is struggling, it seems like nothing will
go its way. That was the case in the De La Salle College Showcase
Friday in Concord, which features some of the top teams from
Northern California.
When a team’s offense is struggling, it seems like nothing will go its way.
That was the case in the De La Salle College Showcase Friday in Concord, which features some of the top teams from Northern California.
Gilroy (5-2-2, 1-0-1 TCAL) tied Bishop O’Dowd 0-0 despite controlling the tempo and creating numerous scoring chances.
“We dominated the game,” said coach Brian Hall. “But we again had trouble finding the back of the net. We had the majority of the ball possession but again were denied by strong goal keeping.”
Eighteen minutes into the second half, Gilroy’s Jose Armando Hernandez got behind the defense on the left side of the field. He crossed the ball from about 30 yards out. Kevin Grove and Clemente Pineda were both crossing in front of the goal, but the pass just missed their feet.
About 30 minutes into the second half, Gilroy had a couple of golden chances.
Oscar Zuniga hooked in a corner kick to Grove, who’s header shot hit the cross bar.
The Mustangs had another piece of touch luck when Grove took a shot that rebounded off the post to Randy Moya. Moya got off a shot from seven yards out with the goalie laying on the ground and a wide open net, but the ball bounced off teammate Jorge Sanchez, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time while crashing the net.
Earlier in the game, Andy Moya put a ball over the top of the defense. Josh Gonzales came running in and collided with the keeper. The ball came loose, but the defender cleared it out.
“We worked hard, and we would liked to have won,” said Randy Moya, who had four shots on goal. “We haven’t been lucky the past three games. We’ve been trying our best to score. The effort is there, but we can’t finish. Sooner or later, if we keep it up, we’ll score more goals. We just have to be patient and it will come around.”
Hall moved Grove from defense to offense to try to take advantage of his physical presence to score a goal late in the second half. Hernandez, coming off a foot injury, didn’t start but was able to contribute with his ball servicing. Eric Miller had the task of guarding Bishop O’Dowd’s top striker and was able to shut him down.
“The rhythm as a team is getting better and better now,” Hall said. “But the final third of the field is still our biggest challenge.”
Gilroy will continue in the De La Salle tournament today at 4 p.m. against Richmond. The Mustangs will also host Valley Christian, their third West Catholic Athletic League opponent, Monday at 6 p.m. in the round of 16 of the Homestead Christmas Cup.
