Gilroy
– Gilroy High Latinos Program advisor Jose Hernandez knew this
year’s Spring Indoor Soccer Tournament was going to be big as soon
as he held sign-ups for the event in February.
Hernandez, also the varsity girls’ soccer coach at GHS,
announced the tournament in the school’s bulletin two days before a
school break in February.
Gilroy – Gilroy High Latinos Program advisor Jose Hernandez knew this year’s Spring Indoor Soccer Tournament was going to be big as soon as he held sign-ups for the event in February.
Hernandez, also the varsity girls’ soccer coach at GHS, announced the tournament in the school’s bulletin two days before a school break in February. Two days later, all 16 of the seven-person team spots were filled, and 10 others wanted to get in. Every team had also already paid the $1 team entry fee – which pays for the championship trophy – on time.
“This is just astonishing,” Hernandez said of the tournament in which over 110 students took part. “I didn’t even have to make posters.”
On Monday, the eight-week tournament came to an end, with Juventus earning the title before hundreds of classmates who packed into the GHS main gym bleachers to watch the lunchtime event.
The mostly sophomore team beat the freshmen-laden Pumas USA 8-3 in the two-game championship, which was formatted after the Mexican League finals. Each team had a home and an away game, and at the end, the goals were totaled.
After the first game, the score was tied 2-2. But in the second game, Juventus dominated Pumas USA 6-1. Cousins Humberto Pineda, a sophomore, and Jose Pineda, a junior, combined for all six of Juventus’ championship goals. Humberto Pineda scored four times during the two games. Providing solid defense in goal was Andres Leon, whom Hernandez said allowed just four goals the whole season.
Juventus captain Jose Velasquez said the fans on hand for the game were expecting his team to come out on top.
“We had the most passion,” Velasquez said. “(The tournament) is fun and everyone communicates. People get together and go in there and have fun. The fans and players, they all have fun.”
This year, the tournament attracted more underclassmen, who jumped at the opportunity to sign up, catching the seniors off-guard, Hernandez said. This was also the first tournament where an all-girls team beat an all-boys team.
The lone all-girls team in the tournament, the BrasiLadies, comprised of varsity soccer players Maria Alfaro, Amanda Bruce, Luz Cortes, Kristi Figueroa, Maia Guerrero, Sara Hugo and Joann Pedroza, defeated two boys’ teams, the all-freshman Twinkies and the Hoggys, which was a team made up of GHS junior varsity football offensive and defensive lineman.
Hernandez said that though the tournament was initially started as a Latino event, all groups at Gilroy now come out and participate.
“It has been (unifying),” Hernandez said. “When we first started, it was a Latino event with primarily Latino– based teams. The last two years, it’s turned into a high school event.”
“We’re the only school that does this in the area,” Hernandez added. “I really haven’t yet (seen another GHS event grow like this one). When I was a student here in the ’90’s, we didn’t have anything like this.”
Hernandez said next year, he plans to add an all-star element to the tournament.
“It’s getting to be fun,” Hernandez said. “We’re going to have an all–star tournament week next year with voting and the whole thing.”
One game a day was played at lunch for eight weeks, and during that time, on average, about 100 student spectators paid a quarter for admittance to the games. All the money the tournament earned goes back to the Latinos Program, which also puts on the Latinos Talent Show, another popular event. Hernandez said that money goes toward other events, tutoring and other services the program offers.
There’s also been something else generated by the popular event.
“The best thing about this year is that all players have shown a new level of sportsmanship,” Hernandez said. “They tend to take school pride in it now … Every team, before they can play, have to clean up the gym and the mess left by the fans. They’re taking on other responsibilities.”
