Gilroy can’t capitalize on late penalty kicks as rivals battle
to 1-1 tie
Gilroy – San Benito goalkeeper Daniel Lozano made the right guess and his save on a late penalty kick helped the Haybalers preserve a 1-1 tie against Gilroy on Friday at Garcia-Elder Complex.
“I thought I was ready, I felt prepared. You’ve just got to take a guess,” said Lozano of his 68th minute save of a Edgar Hernandez penalty kick, where he made a headlong dive to his right to block the shot.
“It was a good shot, (Lozano) just made a phenomenal save,” Gilroy coach Brian Hall said. “That could’ve turned the game around. The keeper just read it perfectly. He was probably the star of the game.”
Most of the first half was played in the middle of the field, with very few offensive threats.
The Mustangs (4-1-2, 0-0-2 Tri-County Athletic League) had a good chance to take the initial lead in the 30th minute when Jose “Tapon” Velasquez knocked a header off the post and the rebound went to Randy Moya and his header sailed high.
San Benito (1-5-2, 0-1-1) then gained the upper hand in the final minute of the half. Oscar Lostanau fired a shot from the corner that was knocked out in front of the goal by Gilroy goalkeeper Jairo Rodriguez Avalos. The ‘Balers Gilberto Lizarraga got his foot on the ball and directed it past the keeper for a 1-0 lead, which it took into halftime.
Gilroy again looked as if it would find the back of the net in the 51st minute.
A free kick by the Mustangs’ Humberto Pineda was deflected by Lozano. With Lozano out of the net, Hernandez attempted a head, but San Benito’s Christian Mercado got a head on the ball to negate the threat.
Seven minutes later, Gilroy finally found paydirt when sophomore midfielder Bruce Ocana knocked home a rebound for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
The Mustangs had their golden opportunity on the penalty kick 10 minutes later, but when that failed the ‘Balers were able to battle to the surprise draw.
“I knew they were fast, I knew they were dangerous,” San Benito coach Juan Carlos Martinez said of Gilroy. “If they get the ball, they put it in the net. All of our defense played awesome. … This is a motivation because we know Gilroy is a rival. If we keep playing like this, we can beat anybody.”
For Gilroy, the stories was missed opportunities. Besides the unsuccessful penalty kick, the Mustangs had a goal disallowed for the third time in the past two games – this time due to an offsides call.
“This was a game where I think possession and domination didn’t lead to victory,” Hall said. “(San Benito) was in the right place at the right time.”
The ‘Balers hope this strong performance can propel them as the league season continues.
“This means something,” Lozano said. “Hopefully we can get something out of this to go and beat other teams.”
San Benito won’t be back in TCAL action until Jan. 10, when it hosts Everett Alvarez. The ‘Balers will host Seaside at 3:30pm Thursday in their final game before the holiday break.
