The all-star players from the Hollister Soccer League admittedly
tried a different approach in their second round quarterfinal game
at the Copa Alianza last weekend.
Morgan Hill – The all-star players from the Hollister Soccer League admittedly tried a different approach in their second round quarterfinal game at the Copa Alianza last weekend.

Playing against No. 3 Los Tigres, the No. 6 Hollister squad, who scored a tournament-high 14 goals in three games in the first round, took a defensive approach against the San Jose-based team.

While Hollister managed to hold Los Tigres to just six shots on net for the game, they did put five of those shots into the back of the net, and marched to a 5-1 victory over Hollister Saturday.

The tournament, which was played at the Morgan Hill Sports Complex, began with 32 of the top amateur soccer teams in Northern California.

The quarterfinal loss eliminated Hollister from the Copa Alianza.

“I think we played pretty good, but the ball never went to the net,” head coach Mario Nunez said. “We were trying to play more defensively, trying to hold them. After the game, we confirmed that wasn’t our system – just play and score.”

Los Tigres took a 3-0 lead into halftime after they controlled the ball for much of the first half. Hollister did, however, take some strong shots on net, but they were thwarted by Los Tigres’ goaltending.

“The goalie for them was awesome,” Nunez said. “He was the best of the whole tournament.”

In the second half, Los Tigres added to their 3-0 lead early with a pair of goals that came within three minutes of one another.

Hollister, though, managed to get on the scoreboard when Javier Quezada scored a breakaway goal late in the game.

“That didn’t work,” Nunez said of the squad’s defensive gameplan, “and now we know that.

“I think we played better than them on our tactics. But, man, you win soccer by scoring.”

Out of 32 teams, though, Hollister did finish as one of the top eight teams. In the first weekend, Hollister lost to Athletico (Watsonville) 3-2 in their first game of pool play, but came back with a 7-0 win over Deportivo Sahuayo (Redwood City) and a 5-1 victory over Athletico Mayas (Palo Alto), taking first place in Group B and advancing to their quarterfinal matchup against Los Tigres.

Quesada scored nine goals in the four games played, while Carlos Vargas, president of the Hollister Soccer League, officiated in the second round after receiving positive comments from the referee’s association.

“We’ve been represented pretty good, with our team and with Carlos,” Nunez said.

Hollister’s success even qualified them for three more soccer tournaments, including two in San Francisco and one all-star tournament in Fresno.

“I think I’ll give them a break this week,” Nunez laughed. “But we’re just excited.”

The Alianza tournament was one of 10 regional soccer tournaments being played nationally.

In Sunday’s championship, Heldados La Tapatia FC (Fresno) defeated Necaxa (Salinas) in a shootout after the two teams tied 3-3 at the end of regulation.

Heldados La Tapatia FC will now advance to the National Finals in Los Angeles in December, where the winner will be crowned, “The Best Amateur Adult Hispanic Team in the Country.”

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A staff member wrote, edited or posted this article, which may include information provided by one or more third parties.

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