Baler soccer players arrive late after miscommunication about
game time
When playing the Live Oak Acorns men in soccer, the San Benito
Haybalers can ill afford to get off to a slow start.
When playing the Live Oak Acorns men in soccer, the San Benito Haybalers can ill afford to get off to a slow start.
That was the case Tuesday after a misunderstanding between Haybalers coach Mike Warner and the Athletic Department led to several key players being late.
The Acorns took advantage of the Haybalers’ tardiness and parlayed it into a 3-1 win at Andy Hardin Stadium. The win enabled the Acorns to start the Tri County Athletic League season on a positive note and push its league rivals down a notch.
On Friday, the Haybalers and the Acorns travel to Salinas to battle the North Salinas Vikings and the Salinas Cowboys respectively. Both games are slated to start at 3:30 p.m.
If there is a switch in game times on Friday, Warner hopes his team is given enough time to respond. On Tuesday, he was caught short-handed.
“We thought we were going to play at 5:30 instead of 3:30,” Warner said after the loss. “We were scrambling to get players on the field. ”
It showed.
More than once play had to be stopped because a San Benito player pulled up lame with cramps. Some of the players looked winded.
“Some of the guys were eating just before the game thinking it was two hours away,” Warner said. “We ran out of gas and I think that gave the other team a little confidence.”
Acorns forward Sergio Avila scored two minutes into the game, which spurred the overall play his teammates.
“The kids took the field looking to play hard, and we did,” said Acorns Coach Tony Gable. “Hollister came out a little flat, but they still outplayed us in the first half.”
Although Hollister did not open with its starting 11, most were still enroute to the stadium after hearing of the time change, the team still played with some spark.
With intense ball pressure and dogged pursuit, the Haybaler defense did a fine job of limiting the attempts of Avila, the team’s leading scorer.
Avila only had one attempt for the rest of the half and the Haybalers contained the rest of the team. Warner, however, saw it different.
“They controlled the middle of the field,” Warner said. “We didn’t start the game with the right personnel, so it messed up our game plan.”
His plans were to use his team’s speed and superior passing ability to break down the Acorns’ defense and force the Live Oak goalie into some mistakes.
However, that did not happen until 21 minutes into the second half when San Benito forward John Hansen scored and tied the score at one.
“He showed up at halftime,” Warner said.
The thrill of Hansen’s goal was short-lived.
Three minutes later Anthony Rouzouk’s header put his team up for good and a penalty shot by Cesar Serrano put the game out of reach.
