In dominating the second half, the San Benito High girls’ soccer team unleashed a tidal wave of shots on the Gilroy goal.
The host Mustangs, on the other hand, were holding on for dear life. In the end, Gilroy was able to hold on just long enough to forge a 0-0 tie on Friday night in a Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division contest.
“I’m very, very, very proud of the team,” said Gilroy assistant coach Mario Gomez, who along with fellow assistant coach John Shelley have taken over the coaching duties on a temporary basis after head coach John Slattery and assistant Carlos Hernandez were ejected following the team’s 3-1 loss to Alisal on Jan. 29. “Tonight, the girls showed not just their talent, but their heart.”
While the Mustangs (4-8-1 overall, 3-4-1 MBL Gabilan) were happy with the draw, the same couldn’t be said of the Haybalers (8-4-3, 6-1-2), who entered the match just a point ahead of second-place Salinas in the division standings.
“We just couldn’t finish,” San Benito coach Becky Bonner said. “I’m proud of the way the girls kept on hammering away, never getting tired in the process.”
Unfortunately for the Balers, they couldn’t score despite having a decisive 14-4 shots on goal advantage, including 8-1 in the second half. The Mustangs’ lone second-half shot on goal came moments before the final whistle.
“I like the tie because that was the first-place team we were playing, and you have to respect their side,” Gomez said. “I’m happy because our girls did what they were supposed to do.”
The Balers came close to scoring several times, most notably off the foot of forward Ilanna Woods, who single-handedly outshot the Mustangs by placing five shots on goal. Time and again Woods drilled one-timers from close range and unleashed lasers from 30 to 40 yards away, only to miss by a narrow margin.
The Balers’ best chance to score came in the 75th minute when Woods’ one-timer hit the left post. Gilroy, which possessed the ball for a decent portion of the first half, had its best chance to score in the 17th minute, when Noemi Barrera Ruiz’s shot clanked off the top crossbar.
Both teams received stellar play from their goalkeepers, as Gilroy’s Alejandra Aceves and San Benito’s Jennifer Martin managed shutouts despite having to deal with less than ideal playing conditions.
“The turf was wet, and anytime the ball bounces on it, it’s like a missile,” Gomez said. “So both goalies had to be on their games today.”
With just three games left in the regular season, the Balers are in a dogfight with Salinas for the Gabilan Division championship. San Benito has been receiving stiffer challenges from teams in the second round of league play, and it will have to make some adjustments in the stretch run.
“Teams are seeing us for the second time, and they’re doing a better job of shutting us down,” Bonner said. “But I believe in our girls, and for us we just have to maintain the same attitude and keep on pushing, and eventually we’ll find our rhythm again and the net.”
