Gilroy’s hold over the top spot in the girls’ soccer Tri-County
Athletic League standings was strengthened with a 3-0 victory over
visiting San Benito Wednesday, placing the Mustangs at 6-0 in
league for the first time in Jose Hernandez’ three years as coach
of GHS.
With just six games remaining, Gilroy now has an excellent
chance of winning its third league title in a row.
GILROY
Having success too soon has been a problem lately for the Gilroy High girls’ soccer team.
Jumping out to quick leads in each of its last few games, the Mustangs had a familiar lull creep up in its contest against the visiting San Benito Lady ‘Balers Wednesday, when Samantha Saenz scored in the sixth minute of the game by slotting a long corner kick into the net to give Gilroy a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Aside from the strong start, there was little tempo in the remaining 30-plus minutes before the break.
Nonetheless, it didn’t hinder GHS coach Jose Hernandez’s squad from adding two more scores in the second half to win 3-0 and improve to 6-0 in league.
“To a certain degree, it really is nervousness,” Hernandez said of his squad’s slow starts, adding that he couldn’t complain too much, as this is the first time any of his teams has won its first six TCAL games since becoming coach six years ago.
With just six games remaining on the schedule, Gilroy now has an excellent chance of winning its third league title in a row.
San Benito coach Ben Alvarez wasn’t ready to concede anything, though.
“Absolutely,” Alvarez said when asked if attaining a league title was still realistic. “We still have another four or five games to go.”
Taking a short lob from Katelyn Nebesnick in the 50th minute, Gilroy’s Alex Maldonado chipped a ball over the Lady ‘Balers keeper Elizabeth Miller and a defender for the Mustangs’ second goal. Miller was under consistent pressure, recording 13 saves in the match.
GHS forward Ariana Vera put the game on ice 18 minutes later when she placed what looked to be an impossible shot from just right of the box into the top left corner of the net.
Vera’s goal marked her eighth on the season, tying her for the team lead with Carrillo.
“I think we just wanted more,” Carrillo said after the game. “We knew first place was on the line.”
Daniela Ocampo had a strong game for the Lady ‘Balers, as Alvarez moved her around the field to avoid being heavily marked. Despite the efforts of Ocampo and others, San Benito just couldn’t find the back of the net. Gilroy’s Mandi Jo Torres had four saves in goal.
“We failed to actually look at the far post and cover,” Alvarez said. “We just have to go back to the practice field and regroup.
At 3-1-2 in the TCAL, still good for second place, Ocampo thinks her squad will have a chance at redemption in the last game of the season, a rematch against Gilroy on Feb. 13 in Hollister.
“I think we can still catch up and beat Gilroy in the next game,” she said.
Gilroy (9-2-3) will be back on the field Friday at 3:30 p.m. at North Salinas, while the Lady ‘Balers (11-2-3) will travel to California State University – Monterey Bay on Monday for a match at 3:30 p.m. with Notre Dame.
