San Benito High girls soccer team loses two key players
Despite a string of injuries over the past few weeks
– two of which that were season-ending for two starting players
– the San Benito High varsity girls soccer team has found a way to
win.
And with just two games left in the season the Balers find
themselves in a very enviable spot
– sitting atop the Tri County Athletic League standings
sheet.
San Benito High girls soccer team loses two key players
Despite a string of injuries over the past few weeks – two of which that were season-ending for two starting players – the San Benito High varsity girls soccer team has found a way to win.
And with just two games left in the season the Balers find themselves in a very enviable spot – sitting atop the Tri County Athletic League standings sheet.
“We’ve had two knee injuries, an ankle injury and three more players out with strep throat,” Haybaler Coach Mike Schurig said. “It hasn’t been easy. We’ve had to make adjustments, but people are starting to heal up now and we should be in better shape soon.”
On Tuesday night at home, the Balers played like they were in perfect health as they wasted no time ousting last-place Everett Alvarez by a 4-0 margin.
The match up against the basement-dwelling Eagles seemed to be just what the doctor ordered to get back on track after suffering a 3-0 loss at third-place Gilroy High on Saturday.
Prior to the loss to the Mustangs, the Balers had been on a five-game winning streak before the slew of injuries began to take its toll on the field.
While all of the banged up and sick players are expected to be back in full swing by the next time the Balers take the field, Carly Brigantino and Ashlyn Gonzales are out for the rest of the season.
Brigantino was one of the team’s captains and one of the toughest defenders in the backfield for the Balers.
Gonzales played in the left midfield and had a knack for pushing the ball forward and setting up the forwards. She herself also had two goals this season.
“Ashlyn was starting to really get in the groove for us,” Schurig said. “She has a strong left foot and a strong shot too. And since she is a junior, she will be able to comeback and play for us next year.”
Brigantino won’t.
“Her nickname on the field was ‘Mad Dog.’ She was all over the backfield. She had speed, no fear and the ability to push the ball up to the offensive players. She was really a force. We used her to mark up the other teams’ top goal scorers,” said Schurig of his injured senior.
With those two out of the lineup, Schurig has had to shuffle things around quite a bit. Perhaps the biggest adjustment was moving center midfielder Rachel Maheu to the halfback position in order to fill Brigantino’s spot in the lineup.
“We compensated for the loss of Carly by moving Maheu. We miss Rachel up there for her offensive skills but she has proved to be a major force on defense.”
Even with all of the adjustments that have had to be made and the untimely injuries that have tried to slow the Balers down this year, they are still poised to win a league title – which should earn Schurig a TCAL Coach of the Year Award. Last year his squad finished dead last in league with a 0-10-2 record.
“We’re just doing a better job playing as a team this year,” he said. “We’re finishing on offense, we’re more balanced and we’re getting better production out of our goal keeper. Last year, our team was very young and didn’t have the ability to finish the close games.”
A year ago the Balers lost six games by a goal and had three ties. But this year San Benito has been coming out on top in the games that have been hotly contested.
Proof of that came in back-to-back games two weeks ago against Salinas High and Notre Dame. In both of those nip-and-tuck contests the Balers took a lead only to see the game tied up before ultimately picking up the victory in the closing minutes.
“A year ago, we weren’t doing that, but this year we’ve been pulling those games off,” Schurig said.
With just a few games left in the season before the Central Coast Section playoffs get under way, Schurig hopes his team can regain its health and finish the season strong to give them momentum heading into the playoffs.
The last time the Balers were in the playoffs was in 2003 and 2004. Both years they lost in the opening round. This year, Schurig believes his team has the capability to go farther.
“We’re going to get in there and keep going for as long and as far as we can,” Schurig said. “We’ve been fortunate to have some depth, speed and the ability to put a lot of people into the right positions. We still have a lot of youth, but we’re also more experienced this year.”
