‘Balers hand Vikings ninth straight shutout loss
Hollister – The San Benito boys soccer team took full advantage against a winless opponent Wednesday and routed North Salinas 5-0.
The Haybalers (4-10-2, 3-6-1) scored twice in the first half before breaking it wide open in the second half against the Vikings, who fell to 0-10 in Tri-County Athletic League play by suffering their ninth straight shutout loss.
“I knew the score was going to be like that,” coach Juan Carlos Martinez said. “I just told my guys to not get too confident.”
San Benito got its first goal 11 minutes into the game when Armando Mendoza lined up for a free kick from 35 yards out and directed it into the net.
But the scored stayed that way for awhile, allowing North Salinas to remain in the game.
“They got two or three shots off there,” Martinez said of the Vikings. “It kind of scared me when it was only 1-0.”
Jesus Rios finally added to the lead late in the second half when he scored off a corner kick and the 2-0 advantage held up until halftime.
The ‘Balers broke open the game in the second half. Efrain Magallon punched in a goal to make it 3-0 and Gilberto Lizarraga scored twice in the game’s final 15 minutes to wrap up the win.
Martinez was happy to see his team play to its full capabilities against a team it felt it should beat.
“We controlled the whole game,” Martinez said. “It feels nice to win, especially out our house. We’ve got two very tough games next week.”
San Benito is off until Monday, when it travels to face Alisal at 6pm. The ‘Balers wrap up their season Wednesday at home against Salinas at 3:30pm.
