San Benito sits alone in second place in the TCAL after scoring
victories against Carmel and Stevenson; Lady ‘Balers fall 13-8 to
RLS
HOLLISTER
San Benito boys water polo coach Tom Agan said it’s the defense that sets up the offense. And on a day when the Haybalers forced more steals than keeper Kyle Reuther had saves, the counter attack suddenly became the ‘Balers best friend.
Although Salinas may currently be a step ahead in the Tri-County Athletic League, the ‘Balers got one step closer to the rival Cowboys when they beat Robert Louis Stevenson 9-6 in Hollister on Wednesday.
Coupled with their 9-3 road victory against Carmel on Tuesday, and the ‘Balers suddenly find themselves all alone in second place, with only Salinas in front of them.
“The past two days have both been real good wins,” Agan said. “Like I said, I really think in our league it’s between Salinas, Carmel, Stevenson, Palma and us. So to beat two of those teams in two days, I mean, we’ve got to be moving up the ladder here. We’re heading in the right direction.”
The ‘Balers are now 5-1 in the Tri-County Athletic League, and it was their defense that got them there.
Not only did San Benito shutout the Pirates in the third quarter, while clinging to a one-goal lead at the time, but ‘Baler Nick Angulo made a crucial steal – his third in the game – in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Trailing 8-6 with less than two minutes remaining, RLS found themselves in an opportune man-up situation and were looking to cut the deficit in half. But an errant pass by the Pirates was deflected by Angulo, who recovered the loose ball.
San Benito quickly called a timeout and later scored the clincher when Josh Schafer pocketed his lone goal on the day.
“Defensively, I’m pretty pleased with the job we did, and that’s usually our M.O.,” Agan said. “We’re probably a little bit better on defense than we are on offense. But you know what? Your defense starts your offense.”
The goalie Reuther had eight saves in the contest, the majority of which came in the final stanza, while San Benito combined for 11 steals.
Although the two teams sat even at 2-all after one quarter, San Benito grabbed a one-goal edge at the break when they capitalized on a pair of man-up opportunities.
The ‘Balers tied the game 3-3 when Thomas Parcell found Jordan Schafer on a cross-pool pass, then took a 4-3 lead to halftime when Schafer found Ryan Whiteside for a score.
The ‘Balers were 3 of 4 in man-up situations Wednesday, while RLS was 2 of 5.
San Benito wasn’t immune to turning the ball over, however, and Agan said the offense forced some shots, forced some passes, and we’re not as patient on the attack as he’d like to see.
“Instead of using the clock and trying to find something, we’re taking anything and everything,” Agan said. “Every time you get a little peek at it, we’re taking it.”
Pirates keeper Joey Fletcher had 13 blocks in the game.
San Benito scored the next three goals unanswered and worked out to a 7-3 lead midway through the fourth quarter when there was a brief stoppage in play. Both teams complained of the increased physical nature in the game, and when play was resumed, RLS found a scoring spark and netted three goals in the remaining four minutes.
But the Pirates were unable to stop San Benito, and the ‘Balers matched each RLS goal with one of their own and kept the ball away from the Pirates late in the match.
Whiteside led the ‘Balers with three goals and Schafer added two scores, five steals and two assists.
Whiteside and Schafer each scored four goals apiece against Carmel on Tuesday. The ‘Balers are now 7-6 overall, and they’ll square off against Palma on Oct. 28.
“Palma’s pretty solid,” Agan said. “From what I can tell talking to other coaches, we’re gonna have another game on our hands.”
GIRLS WATER POLO
Robert Louis Stevenson defeated the San Benito Lady ‘Balers 13-8 on Wednesday in Hollister.
No details were reported.
San Benito is now 3-2 in the Tri-County Athletic League, 9-6 overall.
They’ll play in the Lincoln Halloween Classic this weekend and will host Carmel Monday at 3:30 p.m.
