Rams edge West Hills College of Lemoore 1-0
GILROY
A pair of former Anzar Hawks hooked up for the lone goal scored Tuesday in Gilroy, where the Gavilan men’s soccer team defeated West Hills College of Lemoore, 1-0.
Rams sophomore Carlos Zepeda pocketed the game’s only goal with the assist coming from freshman Joel Gutierrez, as both players previously attended the San Juan Bautista high school.
The single goal was enough to upend a visiting West Hills team, as Gavilan, which had just two wins last season, improves to 2-0 on the year.
“Even though we won 1-0, we dominated from start to finish,” Rams coach Albert Marques said. “That was a good sign. Hopefully, we can be consistent with that.”
Although it was the second game of the season, it was the first time Gavilan was at full strength, as Marques said five starting players were absent due to personal reasons in the season opener on Aug. 29 against Napa Valley College.
“And 90 percent of the game, we had Lemoore on their heels,” Marques said.
The coach added that the Rams missed nine “wide open” shots on net, and although West Hills dressed a strong keeper in goal, finishing on offense is a facet of the game Gavilan will seek to improve upon.
“But we created so many opportunities,” Marques said, “which is something we struggled with last year.”
Gavilan, in the midst of a four-game homestand, will return to the field in Gilroy Tuesday to host Yuba (3-0-1) at 4 p.m.
