San Benito survives a defensive battle against Gilroy; wins on a
Rose Vandenberg goal with three minutes remaining
Hollister – For a game that ended on a score of 1-0, Thursday’s league opener at San Benito High between the Haybalers and the Mustangs featured quite a bit of exciting play from both squads.
It was a defensive struggle all the way, with Gilroy doing a great job of keeping the ball away from Rose Vandenberg, who is always a threat to score.
But with the game drawing close to its conclusion and both defenses feeling the effects of fatigue, Vandenberg got her chance and she made the most of it.
In the 77th minute of Thursday’s contest, Vandenberg managed to shrug off Gilroy’s Nicole Hovey, who had been doing an outstanding job on the San Benito forward all game defensively, and looked up at open field. Well, open minus the Gilroy keeper, Sara Hugo, charging out of the box to try and make a play on Vandenberg before she could get a shot off.
But Vandenberg got her foot on the ball before Hugo could close the gap between herself and the shooter. From more than 30 yards out, Vandenberg lifted a shot high into the air that somehow managed to keep itself on a straight line and find its way into the Mustangs’ net for the game’s only score.
“I was getting kind of frustrated at that point,” Vandenberg said of the play she scored on. “I was getting double and triple teamed all game. So, I just kind of pushed (Hovey) off and took the shot.”
But while it was the Haybalers who won the game on Vandenberg’s late-game heroics, the Mustangs were completly in charge of the ball for the majority of the game prior.
Which meant a lot of work for San Benito’s Ashley Perreira. Perraira was in charge of defending the San Benito goal by virtue of Mary Von Urff being out of town due to a death in the family. And, despite her inexperience in the net, Perraira time and time again made the necessary stops to keep her team in the game.
Even in the game’s final three minutes, with the Mustangs really putting pressure on San Benito’s defense, Perraira turned the opposition away every time. Just before the final whistle, Gilroy’s Amanda Bruce sent a corner kick into a crowd of players, a perfect opportunity for a header attempt. But Perraira got up in the air and punched the incoming ball out of harm’s way,
“(Ashley) had a fantastic game today,” said Balers head coach Mike Schurig. “She really played with a lot of confidence.”
San Benito is back in action on Monday, hosting North County at 3:30 pm.
