As the Gilroy girls soccer team played Scotts Valley Friday, one
young male fan cheered from the stands holding a sign that
said,
”
Score a goal, get a kiss.
”
Gilroy – As the Gilroy girls soccer team played Scotts Valley Friday, one young male fan cheered from the stands holding a sign that said, “Score a goal, get a kiss.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t get his wish from the home team – or Scotts Valley.
In their third game in three days, the Mustangs (0-4-2) and the Falcons fought to a 0-0 scoreless tie at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
Part of that had to do with Gilroy focusing on stepping up its defense after a 3-0 loss at Los Gatos Thursday.
“The defense was better,” said Gilroy head coach Jose Hernandez. “Up top, it was more consistent, there was more pressure.”
Offensively, the first half played out with both teams taking turns as the aggressor. But no real threats on goal were made at either end.
Scotts Valley controlled the ball in the opening minutes of the second half, but five minutes in Gilroy pushed the ball down to the Falcons’ end and forward Nubia Diaz de Leon fired a shot 30 yards out that went straight to the keeper.
Gilroy’s defense stepped up big in the 15th and18th minutes. First, senior defender Kendra Sato slid in and knocked the ball away from a Scotts Valley player that was breaking down the right side toward the Gilroy goal. Then ‘Stangs keeper Sara Hugo jumped on a free kick ball that almost got away from her.
For several minutes midway through the half, Gilroy was able to keep the ball on the Falcons’ side of the field and got into more of an offensive rhythm. Mustang senior forward Joann Olivo-Pedroza made a few threatening runs and got a shot on when she curled a free kick from the sideline toward the goal. But Scotts Valley’s keeper knocked it away and the Falcons cleared the ball.
Gilroy escaped the closest scoring threat of the night with nine minutes to play. Sato and a Scotts Valley player both chased after a ball sent toward the Mustang goal. Sato caught up just in time and pressured the player to roll her shot just wide left of the goal.
After a tough preseason the Mustangs are ready to begin league play, which begins this week and includes a rematch with perennial T-CAL power Live Oak Thursday.
Olivo-Pedroza said the team wants to do better than second, which is what the team finished in league last year.
“We’re more structured now and more competitive and we want to win,” she said.
The senior added that playing A-league teams in its first six games has been good for the team, even though the schedule has given the Mustangs four losses.
“I think it’s better that coach (scheduled A-league teams),” Olivo-Pedroza said. “When we get to CCS, we play harder teams.”
Adding to early season woes was the fact that the Mustangs were without a few key players, including midfielder Amanda Bruce, who returned for her first game Wednesday after missing the first part of the season playing at a national tournament with her club team.
But after the rough start, Hernandez sees his team beginning to come together.
“The big thing is to go from thinking we’re good to competing,” he said. “We hit the frustration part at the start of the week. But today, I was very happy. We were relaxed.”
Gilroy opens league play against Hollister at home Tuesday at 5:30pm.
