Lady Balers stave off Salinas for 2-1 victory; Gilroy looms on
Friday
A playoff berth is certain. Now, the focus of the San Benito
Lady Balers turns to Gilroy, where a league championship will be on
the line come Friday.
Lady Balers stave off Salinas for 2-1 victory; Gilroy looms on Friday
A playoff berth is certain. Now, the focus of the San Benito Lady Balers turns to Gilroy, where a league championship will be on the line come Friday.
Behind a late goal from Sara Yamasaki in the 69th minute, San Benito edged visiting Salinas 2-1 on Wednesday in Hollister, a victory that all but ensures the Lady Balers’ bid to next week’s Central Coast Section Division I playoffs.
“That seals the deal for us going to the playoffs,” San Benito head coach Ben Alvarez said. “We’ve got to get ready for the next team now.”
The next team will be Gilroy, and a league title will be on the line. The two teams met up earlier this season, and the Mustangs earned the slight edge with a 3-0 victory.
On Friday, if the Mustangs win again, they will take sole possession of the TCAL title. A San Benito win, however, will result in a co-championship.
“It was huge,” San Benito defender Samantha Moreno said of Wednesday’s win.
After the Lady Balers garnered a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when Berniece Bribiesca found Tori Perez for the go-ahead goal, Salinas countered in the 59th minute off a penalty kick following a tripping call in the box.
“That goal did scare me,” Moreno said of Salinas’ equalizer. “But I think everyone, right away, turned it on. Everyone wanted to score that second goal.”
And the game-winner came just 10 minutes later. Karly Leon’s attempt on net beat the Salinas keeper, but a defender punched it out from the goal line at the last moment.
Chasing the play was Sara Yamasaki, however, who found the back of the net in the 69th minute to push the Lady Balers to victory.
