Sometimes the son must rebuke the father.
And so it was for Cesar Perez del Real, the San Benito High senior goalkeeper who had to calm down his dad, Refugio, after he screamed to get his son out of a Dec. 16 non-league home match against Santa Teresa of San Jose.
Out of fairness to Refugio, Perez del Real was wincing with pain just moments earlier, after he took a ball to the groin while making an acrobatic diving kick save. However, the Haybalers’ two-year starting goalkeeper would have none of it.
“I told my dad, ‘Hey, calm down,’” Perez del Real said. “I’m hurting right now because of a little injury, but I still want to play to help out the team. I told (coach) Tony (Deras) that it was my decision and I was good to play, and I guess my dad forgot that and he came rushing onto the field. When I was younger, my dad rushed in once or twice.”
It’s a good thing Perez del Real is just as good in between the posts as he is playing peacekeeper. The 5-foot-10, 135-pounder had six saves in the 1-0 win over Santa Teresa, and most of them were of the spectacular variety.
The Balers, who improved to 2-1-1, were somewhat fortunate to come out with the victory, as the Saints outshot them 13-10. However, Perez del Real rebuffed every Santa Teresa attack, using tremendous instincts and aggressive play to turn back the Saints time and again.
“This was one of my best games,” Perez del Real said. “I was really active and my mentality is to always play smart, but also be really aggressive.”
When the Balers enter Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division play in the first week of January, they’ll need Perez del Real to play at a consistently high level. San Benito was promoted to the much tougher Gabilan after winning the Pacific Division last season, and it can’t wait to see where it stands.
“We’re really excited for it,” Perez del Real said. “It’s important for us to stay confident and never give up no matter what happens. I’ve always had confidence in myself because that is one of the main things you need to have if you want to do your best.”
Leonardo Vaca scored the game’s lone goal in the 5th minute, driving a shot under the legs of a diving Santa Teresa goalkeeper after he was left unmarked near the front of the goal.
Vaca received a nice pass from Ivan Benavides, who was stationed near the top of the 18-yard penalty box. The Balers also received solid play from Juan Castellanos, who was always around the ball and pushing the action.
Perez del Real, who started playing soccer in the second grade, actually played defender during his freshman year on the junior varsity team. As a sophomore on the varsity, he didn’t receive much playing time with a couple of upperclassmen in goal ahead of him.
But last year was his breakout season, and he knew it was just a matter of time before he could leave his mark on the program.
