To club or not to club? That is the question.
To club or not to club? That is the question.
Hollister High found out that going clubbing is very important when it comes to winning soccer games. The Balers fell 4-0 Tuesday to a Live Oak team where every girl on the team plays club soccer.
“100 percent,” said the Acorns’ Michelle McDonald, who had a hat trick and assisted on the other Acorns goal. “It’s so important to play club. I only take a week off during the year and I’m in great condition. I don’t miss a beat.”
Losing to the Acorns the way the Balers did must have been frustrating. Athletically, Hollister matches up in most positions. But skill-wise, situation-wise and discipline-wise, advantage Acorns.
“We work on the same drills they do,” said Baler head coach Michael Schurig. “They just do it better. Live Oak is well-coached and their players pass the ball effectively. They play year-round soccer.”
“We play a possession game,” said McDonald. “We want to settle the ball.”
McDonald is only a sophomore and the Balers will have to deal with her for at least two more years. The Balers have a skilled sophomore, too, in Jennifer Vandenberg. Vandenberg is the Balers’ only player who plays club soccer.
You can tell by just watching Vandenberg. She has the ability to take over a match. Her movements are fluid, not forced. In contrast, Vandenberg’s partner up front, Jenny Maheu, plays on tremendous athletic ability. Maheu has skill, but it’s her tenacity, outstanding speed and athleticism which catches the attention of the opposition. And she’s finishing shots at almost a 4-1 ratio this year than last, meaning she merits even more attention. One can’t leave her alone and she brings a another threat to go with Vandenberg.
Maheu, a junior, plays club softball, not soccer. Oh, She concedes that softball is her best sport.
“I don’t know if the difference between us is that they play club soccer and we don’t,” said Maheu. “If we play with intensity it shouldn’t matter. Live Oak outplayed us.”
Last year, Schurig attempted to start a club soccer team in Hollister, but couldn’t come up with enough players. He should be credited with placing the Balers in the right places and teaching them the required skills to compete with the majority of the teams in the Central Coast Section.
Yet until the bulk of the Baler players play year-round soccer and as long as Live Oak players continue to play club, Hollister will always be taking the pitch with a short deck in matches against the Acorns.
Many of the Baler boy booters play in the adult soccer league in town. Baler head coach Michael Warner warns that that can be deceptive.
“They play with and against bigger, more physical and advanced players,” said Warner. “The problem is that they fall back into a trap that they dont have to be as good as they can be because the other players on they’re surrounded by adults. Then when they play with their own age group on a high school team you only get 20 minutes out of a 45 minute half out of them.”
Soccer has come a long way in this town, especially in the last three to four years. Both the Baler boys and, especially, the Baler girls are much more competitive than they used to be. A showdown match like the one Tuesday for the girls was unthinkable three years ago.
This Saturday at noon at Andy Hardin Pitch, the Baler boys take on a quality Gilroy side and must win to keep their slim CCS playoff berth alive.
Wonder how many Mustangs went year-round clubbing this past year? Probably a lot.
