During a strong 2011-12 girls soccer campaign a year ago, the Balers finished achingly close to a Central Coast Section berth, missing the cut by only one game.
It was only the second time since 2008 that they failed to make the playoffs.
With nine seniors covering the pitch for the Balers this winter, San Benito set one goal entering the season: They were going to return to the playoffs.
But they’ve done even better than that. With two games remaining, the Balers will finish with at least a second-place finish in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division. As of Tuesday, they sit a half-game behind Gilroy High for the league title. If they can surpass the Mustangs, it would be the Balers first league championship since 2007.
More importantly, through 10 league games the Balers are undefeated at 7-0-3. It’s been magical ride for the seniors that came so close a year ago.
“I think our team has been really good lately,” senior Berenice Bribesca said. “We’ve just been on top of it. We’ve had our downs but we always come together at the end. We were always a second-half team. We always came back no matter what … Our season has been really good.”
The season has been so good for the Balers, they haven’t suffered a loss since December and they’ve never lost by more than one goal. At times, the Balers have been unstoppable thanks to its senior class.
“One of the nice things with seniors is that half the seniors have really been with the varsity program for a long time – some of them for four, some for three years,” SBHS head coach Beck Bonner said. “They’ve taken a long time to develop the program into what is. It’s been nice for them to give their experience to the younger girls.”
That senior class has been lead by a defensive stalwart in Victoria Perez and returning keeper Marissa Espino, who missed all of last year with an injury. Those two on the defensive end have been the catalyst to the Balers allowing only 10 goals all year.
After missing last year’s season, the season has been special for Espino in the net.
“This year because there is a lot of seniors, I think a lot of people are putting in the work because it means a lot to us,” she said. “We just don’t want to make it there. We want to make a statement … It means a lot to me and this is what I want – what I’m working for. Last year, I didn’t play. I got hurt. This year, I’m working through the season and we are going to do good.”
The biggest difference in the Balers success this winter has been the communication throughout the field. After being quite last year, the Balers are more talkative than ever thanks to the seniors, Perez said.
“Well since we have so many seniors, we all really want it now,” she said. “We really want to make it all the way through CCS. It’s really pushed us to try and win. Last year we lost to North Salinas and that was a really bad time. This year we really wanted to push through it and make it all the way.”
She continued: “We’ve been connecting on more passes. Last year, we were really silent on the field. This year, we are communicating more and talking more.”
But their goals aren’t done just yet. San Benito is still searching for the school’s first ever CCS victory in soccer. The Balers believe they are the team to do just that, Bribesca said.
“We have accomplish something we didn’t accomplish last year,” she said. “We had one down game and that cost us it all. It was our goal to make CCS … I really do believe we can make it past the first round this year.”
The Balers will discover their CCS fate Saturday at 1 p.m. San Benito’s final week included a game Wednesday against Watsonville on the road. Friday they host Salinas at 3:30 p.m.
