‘Balers fall 3-0 to Cowboys in final home game
Hollister – San Benito couldn’t play the spoiler role Wednesday and lost to Salinas 3-0 in its final home game of the season.
The win clinched a spot in the Central Coast Section playoffs for the Cowboys (11-2-8, 7-1-4 Tri-County Athletic League) and momentarily kept their hopes of a league title alive.
However, Gilroy’s 2-0 win over Alisal wrapped up the title for the Mustangs.
“I told the guys ‘Let’s try to spoil something for them,'” Haybalers coach Juan Carlos Martinez said. “But the luck wasn’t with us today.”
The ‘Balers (4-11-2. 3-7-1) kept the game close for most of the first half and appeared to take the lead in the 23rd minute.
Senior Christian Mercado booted a pass into the box that found its way through and Armando Mendoza punched it in. But after some discussion between the center referee and the linesman, the goal was disallowed because of an offsides call.
“To me, the defender touched the ball so it wasn’t offsides,” Martinez said. “If they wouldn’t have disallowed that, it might’ve been a different story.”
Seven minutes later, Salinas appeared to score its first goal but it was also disallowed because of an offsides call.
With the game still scoreless in the 36th minute, the Cowboys finally broke through when Jose Montenegro fielded a long pass and knocked in a goal.
A minute later, Salinas added to the lead when Jose Ruelas scored to make it 2-0.
The ‘Balers had a couple of chances in the second half to get back into it.
Their best chance came in the 60th minute. Colin Kay fed to Armando Espinoza with an open look at the goal but he couldn’t direct his shot into the net.
The Cowboys then put the game away in the 74th minute when Francisco Mederos found the back of the net to make it a three-goal advantage.
“I think all this frustration from the whole season is getting to us,” Martinez said.
San Benito wraps up its season at Alisal at 3:30pm Friday and will try again to play spoiler and put a ding in the third-place Trojans’ hope of a at-large CCS berth.
“We need one more really good game against a really good team,” Martinez said. “It’s going to be a good game because we’re going to go out and play. We have nothing to lose.”
