GILROY — Hibsen Tamayo-Davila’s shot was as perfect as they come — a rocket to the back of the net that even the most skilled goalies would have trouble defending. Monterey’s Fredis Pineda didn’t stand a chance.
Tamayo-Davila scored the lone goal for Christopher in the 55th minute in the team’s 1-1 tie with the Toreadores Tuesday at home which kicked off Monterey Bay Pacific League play. The tie also snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cougars, putting them at 1-4-2 overall this season, 0-0-1 in league.
“I think it’s a great start,” CHS coach Ricardo Espinosa said. “I think any time you don’t give up all the points at home is good. We’d like to have the win, but we’ll take the tie.”
Monterey was the first to draw blood, when Danny Reyes was finally able to get one passed Christopher’s Carlos Arroyo in the 36th minute. Reyes had been aggressively attacking the net for most of the first half, posting four shots on goal prior to his score. The goal gave the Toreadores a 1-0 lead at half.
“Monterey is a very fast team, they counter very fast,” Espinosa said. “We had to step up and pressure them quickly. Luckily the guys put it together and didn’t allow another goal. Hibsen (Tamayo-Davila) stepped up big time with some great shots and a big goal.”
After a mostly flat first half, Tamayo-Davila said that his coach told the team at the break that they needed to step up their game. It didn’t take long as the forward scored just 10 minutes into the second half on an odd-man rush down field.
“It’s a good feeling that you accomplished something so hard,” Tamayo-Davila said of his goal.
The Cougars are hoping this game helps turn the tide on their season, especially as the prep for the dangerous San Benito (4-2-2 overall, 1-0-0 in league) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Hollister.
“(We’re) coming back from some loses, so we’ve just got to keep it up,” Tamayo-Davila said. “(We need) more talking, more passing — just the fundamentals.”
