San Benito pounds Soquel 5-1
Hollister – San Benito broke free of its season-long scoring drought to beat Soquel 5-1 at home Monday.
“We controlled most of the game,” coach Juan Carlos Martinez said. “Their defense wasn’t too strong so we took advantage of that.”
Omar Bravo kicked off the scoring about 20 minutes in when he punched in a goal, but the Knights answered quickly to tie the game and it was 1-1 at halftime.
The Haybalers (1-4-1) took the lead for good 15 minutes into the second half. Eddie Trujillo fielded a pass from Allen Nieves and he dribbled past two defenders and scored to make it 2-1.
Colin Kay added a goal when he shot a pass toward the net and it was misplayed by the goalie and found the back of the net to make it 3-1.
Efrain Espinoza made it 4-1 when he received a pass from his cousin Armando Espinoza and worked his way past a defender and scored.
With about five minutes left, San Benito put the finishing touches on its first win of the season.
With Trujillo set for a corner kick, Martinez let his goalkeeper Daniel Lozano enter as an attacker and he fielded the corner kick and fired a shot into the net for a goal.
“They were concentrating and were communicating,” said Martinez, whose team opens Tri-County Athletic League play at home at 3:30pm Wednesday against Palma. “I think we’re ready for the league. The win gives us confidence. If we keep playing like this, I think we’ll be all right.”
San Benito also played a strong game Saturday against North Monterey County, but couldn’t find its way into the net in a 1-0 loss.
In its first action in a week and a half, the ‘Balers showed renewed energy and Martinez was happy with the performance despite the loss.
“They played like I expect them to play,” he said. “The defenders, the midfielders, the forwards all played good.”
