San Benito eases past North Salinas 4-1 Wednesday; Hannah Cobb
scores two more goals, reaches 20-goal plateau for the season
SALINAS
San Benito head coach Ben Alvarez says his Lady ‘Balers soccer team is beginning to return to its preseason form over the past two games.
And that’s a good thing.
San Benito’s Hannah Cobb scored twice and reached the 20-goal plateau on the season, Yaira Lizarraga delivered a pair of assists and the Lady ‘Balers continued to push toward second place in the Tri-County Athletic League Wednesday when they defeated host North Salinas 4-1.
The victory places San Benito at 5-2-2 in the TCAL, 13-3-3 overall, with three games remaining. Although the Lady ‘Balers are already ensured a record of .500 or better, which at the very least qualifies them for a possible at-large playoff bid, Alvarez feels a second place finish in the TCAL is still a very reachable goal.
Second place in league would supply San Benito with an automatic playoff bid.
“I think the way we’ve played,” Alvarez said, “we’re getting back to our form like we were at the beginning of the season.
“I think it’s attainable. I think we can get to second place.”
With Gilroy well ahead in first at 8-0-1, San Benito is seeking second against Salinas (6-3-1) and Notre Dame (4-1-4).
The Lady ‘Balers, meanwhile, avenged a 2-2 tie against North Salinas from earlier this season when they cruised to Wednesday’s three-goal win.
San Benito went up 1-nil early when Cobb was tripped inside the penalty box by a North Salinas player, setting up Sara Yamasaki’s PK goal in the 14th minute.
San Benito then took a two-goal lead just before halftime when Lizarraga dished off the first of her two assists. Receiving the ball from Yamasaki on the left sideline, Lizarraga found Daniela Ocampo on a diagonal run toward the net. Ocampo, with only the stopper and the goalie in front of her, connected for the score and a 2-0 lead in the 39th minute.
Lizarraga then set up Cobb with a long pass on the left side in the 56th minute.
“And with her speed,” Alvarez said of Cobb, “she just beat all the defenders. It was just her and the goalie.”
Cobb’s second-half score made it 3-0.
The Vikings finally got on the scoreboard in the 58th minute, taking advantage of a strong wind and a Lady ‘Baler miscue on defense to break the shutout.
“But we recuperated kind of fast,” Alvarez noted.
Three minutes after the Vikings scored, Sophie Coelho took a shot on net that was actually blocked by North Salinas’ keeper. The Viking goalie couldn’t corral the loose ball, however, and Coelho retrieved it before passing off to Cobb for a quick score.
“She realized Hannah was coming on the run,” Alvarez said. “So she quickly sent it over and Hannah took a nice clean shot.
“There was no way the goalie was gonna stop the ball.”
San Benito will need to continue their strong play of late when they host Everett Alvarez on Friday in Hollister. Although they managed to defeat the Eagles 5-1 earlier this season in Salinas, the Lady ‘Balers will need each and every point that remains on their schedule in order to seize second place in the TCAL.
Game time is 3:30 p.m.
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