The San Benito girls soccer team will be making its third
Central Coast Section playoff appearance and second in a row.
The No. 10 Haybalers will be looking for their first win when
they visit No. 7 Los Gatos on Wednesday for the first round of the
Division 1 playoffs. In the previous two playoff games, San Benito
lost 3-0 to Leland and 2-1 to Leland last season.
The San Benito girls soccer team will be making its third Central Coast Section playoff appearance and second in a row.
The No. 10 Haybalers will be looking for their first win when they visit No. 7 Los Gatos on Wednesday for the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. In the previous two playoff games, San Benito lost 3-0 to Leland and 2-1 to Leland last season.
“Their spirits are up and they are positive,” said Baler coach Michael Schurig. “We have a good chance to win. We just have to play a real solid defense and look for a couple offensive opportunities. We have to keep them outside of the 18-yard line.”
During the seeding meeting, San Benito was originally seeded as No. 12, but that would have pitted them against No. 5 Live Oak. CCS rules prohibit teams in the same league from facing each other in the first round. As the result, San Benito was moved up to the No. 10 seed.
Live Oak, which gave up just one goal in league – to San Benito – will play against No. 12 Alisal at home on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
San Benito comes into the match with a 10-5-5 overall record and 6-1-3 league record, while Los Gatos has a 10-4-4 overall record and 6-2-4 league record. An interesting side note is that both JV teams finished perfect in league.
The spread between goals scored and goals allowed is almost identical (San Benito 54-27 and Los Gatos 42-18).
Los Gatos was the third-place league team behind Palo Alto and Los Altos. Last year, the Wildcats also finished tied for third place but were one point shy of qualifying for an at-large berth.
Both San Benito’s Rose Vandenberg and Los Gatos’ Morgan Branon play on the Sunnyvale Roadrunners club team together.
The forward and center back should see a lot of each other Wednesday. Vandenberg has scored 25 times and has 15 assists.
Baler forward Jenny Maheu has 17 goals this season, despite not playing since she injured her ankle against Live Oak on Jan. 27.
“We’ve been practicing without her,” Schurig said. “If she does play, it will probably be off the bench. But we have a lot of girls ready to step it up.”
Los Gatos has a couple players under the weather but doesn’t have any major injures, said second-year coach Jan Eric Nordmo .
“We’re a real young team,” Nordmo said. “They’re excited and nervous because they don’t have the experience.”
“They are the caliber of a Live Oak and maybe a little better,” Schurig said. “They have pretty much year-round players.”
After the Balers lost 5-1 in the opening TCAL game against Live Oak, coach Schurig set the goal for his team to not give up any goals.
The Balers responded with a nine game-unbeaten streak, recording shutouts in seven of the nine games.
Defense will be the key for the Balers if they hope to make a run in the playoffs. But the Wildcat defense, led by DeAnza League MVP Goalkeeper Jessica Sansevere, will be tough to penetrate.
“We know San Benito is a very good team, and they didn’t get here by mistake,” Nordmo said. “You throw everything in league behind you when you get to CCS. Little teams can be giant killers and giants can fall. We’re no giant, but we’re no little guy either.”
