Santa Cruz flexed its muscle to the tune of five first-half
goals and never looked back on Tuesday when it defeated visiting
San Benito 5-1 in a non-conference match.
SANTA CRUZ
Santa Cruz flexed its muscle to the tune of five first-half goals and never looked back on Tuesday when it defeated visiting San Benito 5-1 in a non-conference match.
The loss drops the Lady Balers to 0-2 on the early season, while Santa Cruz improves to 2-1.
“Santa Cruz showed up, but we never did,” San Benito head coach Ben Alvarez said. “It was just not a good day today. They were flat.”
The host Cardinals jumped all over San Benito right from the get-go, depositing five goals in the first half. Santa Cruz led 5-0 at the break.
“We had a couple of opportunities … but we were unable to penetrate their defense,” Alvarez said. “I was disappointed with the way we played.
“It was just one of those days.”
Alvarez said his team regrouped at halftime and managed to pocket its lone goal about five minutes into the second half when Hannah Cobb found Berniece Bribiesca for the score.
“We regrouped in the second half and scored, but the damage was already done,” Alvarez said.
For what it’s worth, Santa Cruz compiled a 15-4-5 overall record last year, and won the Santa Cruz Athletic League with a nearly-flawless 11-0-1 mark. The Cardinals even marched all the way to the Central Coast Section Division III championship before falling to Sacred Heart Prep by a 2-1 margin.
“That’s a good team,” Alvarez said. “They made some outstanding runs and we were unable to contain on the inside.
“It’s a tough score to come back from.”
San Benito (0-2) will have a chance to rebound on Thursday when it hosts Santa Catalina at 3:30 p.m.
TEAM 1 2 F
SB 0 1 1
SC 5 0 5
