A new defensive alignment by the Hollister High boys soccer team
worked well early in Tuesday’s match at Live Oak.
A new defensive alignment by the Hollister High boys soccer team worked well early in Tuesday’s match at Live Oak.
The Acorns, though, found a leak in the Baler defense on two different occasions to shut out the visitors 2-0.
That puts Hollister (6-3-1, 3-3 Tri-County Athletic League) in a must-win situation this Saturday at noon when the Balers host Gilroy.
Losing to the league-leading Acorns (12-1-4, 6-0) isn’t a shame for the Balers, but it has frustrated head coach Michael Warner.
“We match up athletically with these teams,” said Warner. “We just can’t put the ball in the net, no matter how we practice it.”
The Balers changed to a 3-5-2 alignment designed to mark the Acorns top scorer, Sergio Avila and key playmaker Cesar Serrano. The Balers Nick Vandenberg, who is one of the Balers’ tallest players, denied Avila space and the ball.
Mario Zarogoza and Danny Laguna were equally effective in bottling up the middle and forcing Serrano to the outside where the Balers Isidro Trujillo and Willie Sanchez defended Serrano with their speed.
The Acorns won a corner and the ball was delivered to Avila just past the halfway mark of the first half. Avila delivered the goal for 1–0 Acorns.
“Vandenberg was pulled out of position when someone shouted ‘out, out’,” said Warner.
The Balers threatened late in the first half, but couldn’t find the net. Then at the start of the second half, Trujillo made some outstanding runs deep into the Acorns area and helped to put pressure the Acorns’ defense.
Live Oak countered, though, and tallied its final goal when Julian Barta split two Baler defenders and fooled Baler goalie Jorge Medina with a ball which sailed over Medina’s head.
JV score: Balers 2, Acorns 2. Baler goals were by Joel Aguilar and Tony Fuentes.
