Since opening the 2009-10 season with a pair of losses, the San
Benito boys soccer team has gone 2-0-1
— its latest match a 3-2 victory over Gonzales on Tuesday.
HOLLISTER
Andy Hurtado said the Balers are simply coming together as a team.
Since opening the 2009-10 season with a pair of losses, the San Benito boys soccer team has gone 2-0-1 — its latest match a 3-2 victory over Gonzales on Tuesday.
“We’ve become one. We’ve become a team,” said Hurtado, a junior stopper for the Balers, who deposited a goal for San Benito on Tuesday. “It took us a couple games, but we’re finally getting it down.”
Tuesday’s victory in Hollister was the second time in as many years San Benito has topped Gonzales, which has won the Mission Trail Athletic League the last two seasons.
Balers head coach Ramiro Ramos said his team matches up well with the Spartans, who fall to 2-2-2 with the loss.
“We play the same style,” Ramos said. “Compared to teams like Palma and Carmel, those are fast teams. We don’t do so well when we try to play those fast games.”
But Gonzales was at a perfect speed on Tuesday, and the Balers took advantage early on.
In the 3rd minute, Alex Salvatier’s corner kick sailed into the box and was appeared to have been corralled by Gonzales’ keeper. But the Spartan netminder instead dropped it, and San Benito’s Joel Ojeda punched in the game’s first goal as a result.
Although Gonzales tied the game at 1-all some 20 minutes later, the Balers went back up when Hurtado’s chip shot toward the right corner of the net somehow squeezed in — top shelf.
“I was shocked,” Hurtado said. “Exclamation point.”
Hurtado, who had the ball 25 yards out and center, faked a pass right that cleared a Gonzales defender for an open shot on net. His ensuing kick appeared to sail high and over the net, but dropped suddenly at the last moment and nicked both the crossbar and right post for the equalizer.
“I was surprised. I really was,” he said. “I just put it there and it went in.”
Hurtado didn’t have as much luck seven minutes later when his corner kick from the left sailed past the goal to the right side of the field, but teammate Ricardo Roque quickly rebounded the loose ball and re-crossed it toward the net.
Wide open on the left side was Sergio Lopez, who’s shot from 12 yards out kissed the left post and bounced in to give the Balers a 3-1 lead at the 31st minute.
“I think last year they were just too confident with us,” said Hurtado, whose Balers defeated Gonzales by the same 3-2 margin one year ago. “This year, we just started playing as a team.”
The Spartans pulled within one score in the 51st minute on a rebound goal past keeper Frank Hernandez, but San Benito’s defense, led by Alex Alvarez, Joel Ojeda, Adan Garcia and Charlie Ramirez, stifled the Spartans’ best efforts late to preserve the one-goal win.
Hernandez, too, delivered a key save midway through the second half when he deflected a point-blank header on net, while the Balers as a whole prevented Gonzales’ attack early on when they stopped a pair of free kicks to open the second half, each coming from inside the 30.
“We’re starting to adapt,” Hurtado said.
San Benito (2-2-1) will return to the Homestead Christmas Cup tournament on Saturday at De Anza College. The Balers are scheduled to play Saratoga at 1:30 p.m.
TEAM 1 2 F
GONZ 1 1 2
SANB 3 0 3
