Hollister – A glimpse into the future of San Benito’s girls
soccer team is so tantalizing that the Haybalers can smile even
after a convincing 3-0 loss to visiting Soquel yesterday.
With a roster that includes six freshmen, three sophomores and
six juniors, head coach Mike Schurig knows that his team is
experiencing some growth pains that will pay dividends in the near
future.
”
I think this program is finally on board for the long-term,
”
said Schurig, whose squad has just four seniors.
But for the time being, execution and confidence hang in the
mix; sometimes the ‘Balers will have them and sometimes they
won’t.
Hollister – A glimpse into the future of San Benito’s girls soccer team is so tantalizing that the Haybalers can smile even after a convincing 3-0 loss to visiting Soquel yesterday.
With a roster that includes six freshmen, three sophomores and six juniors, head coach Mike Schurig knows that his team is experiencing some growth pains that will pay dividends in the near future.
“I think this program is finally on board for the long-term,” said Schurig, whose squad has just four seniors.
But for the time being, execution and confidence hang in the mix; sometimes the ‘Balers will have them and sometimes they won’t.
In the first half against Soquel, San Benito (3-3-1) tended to rush its offense at the expense of stabilizing its attack with solid teamwork and passing.
“We kept trying to get that through-ball situation,” said Schurig. “The forwards are yelling for it and we tried to send it up to them, but just ended up giving it to the [Knights’] keeper.”
Soquel (2-0) was able to easily thwart the ‘Balers’ offense and used an effective counterattack to keep the ball largely in front of San Benito’s goal during the opening half.
The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute when Amanda Rossi fired a shot past a crowd and into the right corner of the net. ‘Balers goalie Ashley Perreira was victimized by not having a clean look at the shot.
“There was a [Soquel] girl right in front of me,” said Perreira. “The ball came right through her legs and I couldn’t see it.”
Relishing the challenge of competing with the Knights’ talented ballhandlers, San Benito’s defense opened the second half with a statement.
Soquel’s Taylor Thorton appeared to have a one-on-one opportunity with Perreira, but ‘Balers right defender Sarah Mullen came from nowhere to break up the play.
“They had a lot of skill, but we just tried to stay with them,” said Mullen. “The second half, we concentrated on holding them back, staying back defensively.”
Meanwhile, San Benito’s offense began to enjoy the fruits of its patience in setting up its opportunities.
‘Balers midfielder Janessa Gillies took a pass down the right side and beat two Soquel defenders to unload a shot in the 56th minute, but the ball rebounded off the right post.
Four minutes later, San Benito freshman Rachel Maheu crossed the ball in front of the Knights’ goal where Gillies tried to corral it, but Soquel goalie Brianna Tobias beat her to the ball.
The Knights pushed their lead to 2-0 with a goal by Thorton after a nice cross by Sydney Niemenen and put the game away when Caitlen Roche converted a penalty kick in the 62nd minute.
“We have dynamic speed on the front line and we have excellent control through the midfield,” said Soquel head coach Lisa Dreyers. “We tried to use the whole field more and we did that today.”
San Benito had one last chance on another Gillies’ breakaway, but the sophomore’s arcing shot was foiled when Tobias leaped in the air to punch it away.
Despite the loss, Schurig, the ‘Balers’ coach, understands his team is learning valuable lessons.
“Soquel is a very talented team,” said Schurig. “That’s why we play them. We definitely don’t shy away from A-level teams because we know that’s how we’re going to get better.”
Gillies, for one, was eager to look beyond a tough loss and talk about the foundation that is being built in ‘Baler soccer.
“I think we have a lot of talent and drive on our team now,” said Gillies. “If we really work hard, we’ll be really good in the next couple of years.”
San Benito returns to action in hosting Monterey tomorrow at 3:30.
