Freshman Amanda Bruce scores pair in 5-2 loss to Salinas
GILROY – After more than a month of playing on the road, the Gilroy High girls soccer team returned to Mustang Stadium for Thursday’s league-opener against Salinas. Despite their non-stop fight, the Lady Mustangs came up on the losing end of a 5-2 decision.
“We’ve improved in a lot of areas. We have a lot of growth to continue in. We’re heading in the right direction,” said first-year head coach Jose Hernandez, whose squad’s lone win came in their home opener against Latino College Prep. “It’s a matter of them having faith in each other. When they don’t trust each other, they really tend to go to their instincts, which is kinda leave your position.
“In the first half, that’s what happened. I have a very defensive-minded center in Lizzette (Gonzalez) and a very offensive-minded one in Amanda (Bruce).”
While Gonzalez anchored the defense, stopping several odd-man rushes for Sailnas, Bruce sparked the offense, pushing the ball into the attack zone any chance she got.
“I thought we played pretty well,” said Bruce, who netted both Lady Mustang goals. “I thought we could step it up a little more, but we all can’t have great games every time.”
Bruce did.
With the Lady Mustangs trailing 3-0 in the second half, the freshman phenom gave her team some life by blasting a shot into the upper-corner of the net to get Gilroy on the scoreboard.
“I was trying to get it to the top corner,” said Bruce, who then scored her second strike on a penalty kick in the final seconds of the game. “I play on a club soccer team in Morgan Hill so I’m pretty used to taking penalty kicks. I glance at it a little bit and then don’t look that way again.”
Bruce glanced to her left and then rocketed a shot past the Salinas keeper. When the ball was taken to midfield for a restart, the official immediately whistled the end of the game.
“I was happy they didn’t quit. When that third goal fell, I was worried about what would happen,” Hernandez said. “You never want to lose, but I can handle it as long as they improve.”
They definitely showed improvement.
Senior goaltender Megan Olea, the starting sweeper who was forced to move between the pipes when the opening day goalie moved back to her native country, did all she could to keep the Lady Mustangs in the game. Olea played aggressive in net, coming out on numerous occasions to kick the ball away from Salinas attackers.
“We had to pull her in goal, which left my defense weak, which I’m still trying to find the right combinations,” said Hernandez of Olea.
Salinas held a 2-0 halftime lead and struck for a third early in the second half, seriously challenging the pysches of the young Lady Mustangs. But Bruce’s strike was an energizer.
“It was a beautiful shot,” said Hernandez.
But the goal also ignited the Seaside offense, as they netted back-to-back goals about one minute apart for a 5-1 advantage.
Instead of hanging their heads, the Lady Mustangs kept on working hard and generated their penalty kick with a hard shot that a Salinas defender blocked with her hand.
Up next, Gilroy will host league-foe Hollister on Monday at 5:30 p.m. inside Mustang Stadium.
“It’s a hard task because we’re trying to combat a few things all at once,” Hernandez said. “The first thing is obviously the skill level, improving their basic skills. That’s an on-going process. The second thing is really the mentality and the ego. It’s a matter of having confidence in themselves.”
The junior varsity girls soccer squad dropped a 2-1 decision to Salinas in the earlier game. Gilroy’s lone goal was scored by freshman Sindy Regalado and was assisted by teammate Erika Rivera.
