Recording their first win of the season, the Live Oak Acorns
defeated the San Benito Lady ‘Balers 4-3 Wednesday with an
impressive and continuous offensive onslaught.
Paul Doherty ª Staff Writer
Morgan Hill
Recording their first win of the season, the Live Oak Acorns defeated the San Benito Lady ‘Balers 4-3 Wednesday with an impressive and continuous offensive onslaught.
It was San Benito’s (2-1) first loss of the season, however, as the Lady ‘Balers couldn’t mount a triumphant comeback after falling behind 4-1.
Nevertheless, San Benito coach Mike Schurig was proud of the overall effort his team put forth.
“We made a nice comeback,” Schurig said. “We held them scoreless for the first 24 minutes, playing defensively and trying to figure things out, but then we opened things up and they took advantage of that.”
The Acorns came out kicking, getting ten first-half shots on goal, netting three of them.
Live Oak senior Robin Nelson scored the first goal of the game on a breakaway midway through the first half, while sophomore Fabiola Diaz scored the second goal for the Acorns with a header off of a deep pass from junior Amanda Whitling to extend their lead, 2-0.
San Benito mid-fielder J.C. Clayton consistently worked the ball down the field for the Haybalers, eventually setting up sophomore forward Sophie Coelho who scored on a high kick from the right side into the left corner, cutting Live Oak’s lead in half.
The Acorns answered back within a minute, however, as Lexy Nuno scored a goal from 30 yards out to give the Acorns a 3-1 halftime advantage.
Live Oak added another in the second half when Whitling knocked in a goal off a pass from Diaz, making the deficit 4-1.
But senior Janessa Gillies took a shot from the right sideline to keep the ball in bounds, and the ball bounced right in front of Live Oak goalkeeper Selena Braun, and then snuck nicely between her hands and the right post.
Down 4-2, the Lady ‘Balers pounced once again after the Acorns’ Sarah Locarnini received a yellow card for a hard foul. San Benito’s Samantha Moreno then scored from inside the box after collecting her own rebound, cutting the Acorns lead to one.
While seeming a bit fatigued, the Acorns found energy from junior defender Julia Hartl who continually cleared balls down the field, and Live Oak would eventually hold on for a narrow one-goal win.
“They’re looking better,” Live Oak coach Tony Vasquez said. “We had a couple breakdowns and few late mistakes, but we dominated.”
After tying for the Tri-County Athletic League championship with Gilroy last year, Schurig said this year’s team is determined to repeat their success, but on their own this time.
“I’m happy with what I saw, although we still have some things to work on,” he said. “We’ve got some youth and some seasonality, and they are starting to gel. Our goal is to win league outright.”
