Late goal helps ‘Balers come away with 1-1 tie
By Cheeto Barrera
Staff Writer
Morgan Hill – Midway though the second half, San Benito’s Eddie Trujillo drew a foul in the goalie box, which he converted into a goal to tie Sobrato 1-1 Friday evening.
The goal came in the 24th minute of the second half. The Bulldogs took an early lead as the result of a defensive breakdown in the 11th minute of the same half.
Trujillo said he had pulled on the defender’s jersey, which caused the Bulldog to fall. The referee granted Trujillo the foul and the penalty kick.
“The defender caught up to me and I pulled on his jersey a little causing the penalty,” Trujillo said.
Coach Juan Carlos Martinez said he thought the ‘Balers could have won the game if the team was more aggressive.
“We would have won the game if we shot more,” Martinez said. “We were in the box, but we just got to take the shots.”
Despite the goal, Sobrato’s defense was able to keep the ‘Balers (0-1-1) at bay.
“I thought we were controlling the ball well, but that doesn’t mean anything,” said ‘Baler coach Juan Martinez. “You have got to score.”
Martinez said his team missed on some opportunities in front of the net. He said the players opted to play more conservatively rather than taking the shot.
“We had a lot of chances to score,” Martinez said. “But the kids were still dribbling inside the box. That won’t happen any more.”
In the beginning of the game, San Benito came out strong, keeping Sobrato on the defensive.
But as the game progressed, the Bulldogs began to counter attack and eventually took the momentum.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity to score midway through the first half when a header by Shibin Tharail was taken by Chrystofer Garcia, forcing the goalkeeper to make a diving grab.
The shot was one of the strongest opportunities of the half, which remained scoreless.
Sobrato coach Ricardo Martinez credited San Benito’s sweeper, Carlos Vasquez, with keeping his offense off balance and stopping several scoring opportunities.
“That sweeper was really fast,” he said.
Juan Carlos Martinez said that while Vasquez was a big part in keeping the Bulldogs leashed, he was unable to do everything to stop Sobrato’s attack.
But Sobrato was able to figure out the sweeper, which led to the goal by Mario Vargas.
Vargas, surrounded by three defenders, received a through ball and got in front of all three. He then lobbed the ball over the goalie to draw first blood in the game.
