Sara Yamasaki scored two goals and the San Benito girls’ soccer
team shutout host Alisal in the second half en route to a 3-1
victory in Tri-County Athletic League play on Wednesday.
SALINAS
Sara Yamasaki scored two goals and the San Benito girls’ soccer team shutout host Alisal in the second half en route to a 3-1 victory in Tri-County Athletic League play on Wednesday.
The win, San Benito’s second straight since falling to Gilroy on Feb. 8, improves the Balers to 9-1-1 in the TCAL, 13-1-5 overall. San Benito previously clinched at least second place in the TCAL last Thursday with its win over Notre Dame, and it now owns a two-game lead in the loss column over third-place Salinas (7-3-1 TCAL) with one game remaining.
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The top-two finish in the league also supplies San Benito with one of the two automatic bids toward next week’s Central Coast Section Division I Championships.
The Balers will square off in their final regular season game on Friday, while postseason seedings and matchups will be announced this weekend in San Jose.
On Wednesday, a 1-1 first half against Alisal turned into a two-goal cushion in the second behind goals from Yamasaki and Karly Leon.
Yamasaki staked the Balers to an early lead, too, scoring in the 22nd minute off a set-up pass from Berniece Bribiesca. Alisal responded in the 35th minute to send the game to halftime knotted at 1, however.
But off an assist by Kelly Gottron, Yamasaki scored her second goal of the game in the 47th minute of the second half. Leon then added an insurance goal in the 67th minute following a pass by Hannah Cobb.
“And from then on, we continued the shots on goal. We took a lot of shots on goal, but we weren’t able to find the net,” San Benito head coach Ben Alvarez said.
San Benito had 17 shots on net in the game, compared to Alisal’s five.
“There was some good soccer being played. The girls really connected their passes really well,” Alvarez added. “It was a good win.”
San Benito will wrap up regular season play on Friday when it will travel back to Salinas to take on Everett Alvarez. Kickoff is 5:15 p.m.
TEAM 1 2 F
SANB 1 2 3
ALIS 1 0 1
