Gilroy
– It took a deficit Wednesday to wake up Gilroy. And the
Mustangs woke up just in the nick of time, scoring a goal in the
final minute of regulation to tie Mt. Pleasant and then getting a
goal from Noel Vera in overtime to edge the Cardinals 2-1 in the
first round of the Central Coast Section play
offs.
Gilroy – It took a deficit Wednesday to wake up Gilroy.
And the Mustangs woke up just in the nick of time, scoring a goal in the final minute of regulation to tie Mt. Pleasant and then getting a goal from Noel Vera in overtime to edge the Cardinals 2-1 in the first round of the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Gilroy advances to a quarterfinal game Saturday against Woodside, which defeated Serra 5-4 in penalty kicks after battling to a 1-1 draw through overtime. The game will be played at Alisal at noon.
The Mustangs (14-2-5) and Mt. Pleasant were scoreless until 3:40 remained in regulation when Cardinals’ junior Felix Velador gained control of a loose ball on the left side and pushed in a goal from 15 yards out.
Until then, No. 4 seed Gilroy didn’t seem to play with any sense of urgency. Its passes weren’t connecting and the opportunities the Mustangs did have they weren’t finishing.
That changed with just over a minute to play when Andy Moya sent a direct kick into the middle of the goal mouth. Kevin Grove and Vera both went for a low header and the Mt. Pleasant keeper dove for the ball. The ball popped up and Jose “Tapon” Velasquez headed it into the net.
Meanwhile, Cardinal goalie Jonathan Arellano, Grove and Vera were sprawled on the field. The keeper left with what appeared to be a concussion and Grove had to have his head taped to stop the bleeding.
In the second session of overtime with 2 1/2 minutes left, Bruce Ocana sent a pass on the left side. Vera’s hard shot hit the far post and curled into the back of the net.
“Whenever we were able to get the ball to Bruce on the outside, he was making good passes to the middle,” Vera said. “He hit it to me and I pushed it through the legs of a defender. I toe-poked it as hard as I could.”
It was the deciding factor in a physical game that featured several yellow cards and Mt. Pleasant coach Nick Arellano yelling at the officials and GHS coaches all game.
The Cardinals (13-4-4) defense was stout throughout the physical contest. But Velasquez and Ocana each had two good shots on goal and Vera’s shot with eight minutes left was just wide of the mark.
“We had trouble connecting passes,” GHS co-coach Brian Hall said. “In the final third of the field, we had more possessions and were in control, but we didn’t finish. Ultimately, our fitness paid off for us. (Vera’s) goal was a great individual effort.”
“Those chances don’t come too often,” Vera said. “You’ve got to take advantage of them when you have them. The team was trying to force the ball early, and we weren’t connecting. Once we settled down, we started to move the ball well.”
