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Broncos soccer advances with win |
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Wednesday, 20 February 2008 |
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By Keith Rainville
Sports Editor 2-19-2008 The Bishop boys soccer team got its Division 6 playoff campaign off to a good start on Friday afternoon, beating a game Southlands squad, 6-0. The Broncos were able to score three goals into a steady 15 mph wind, and then poured on the heat in the second half with the wind at their backs for the comfortable win.
Bishop travels to New Community Jewish High School today in the second round to take on the Jaguars. The pairing is ironic, in that the Lady Broncos soccer team eliminated the Lady Jaguars on Saturday night.
Against Southlands on Friday in Bishop, Chris Santana got the Broncos off to a good start by driving down the right sideline into the wind in the 15th minute of the game. Chris made a series of good cuts to reach the 18-yard box with a pair of defenders trailing him. Looking at a point-blank shot, the Eagles fullbacks took down Chris, leading to a penalty kick. Jiovanni Santana took the PK and drove the ball low into the wind to the left corner for the goal and a 1-0 lead.
Southlands had a solid defense with some fundamentally sound players, but the Eagles had no explosive forwards and weren’t able to control the flow of play. The Broncos had to play a faster passing game to open up space on the field, and despite the lopsided final score, the contest was fairly competitive.
Bishop needed to work hard in the first half to control the possession of the ball and to keep Southlands from using the wind to launch high shots. Tyler Thomas and Hugo Villalpando did a nice job of controlling the defensive middle of the field and making line-drive clearance kicks.
Thomas almost tallied an assist as well when he took a free kick from the right side and sent a great ball forward to Adrian Santana. Adrian’s header went just high. Thomas also had a nice pass forward to Hector Gonzales who had a step on his defender but who also launched a high shot just over the crossbar.
Finally, Bishop hit pay dirt in the 30th minute when Chris drove the left sideline and slotted a pass back to the top of the 18-yard box where Jiovanni was waiting. Jio took a second to tee the ball up and then chipped a high floater to the right corner for a 2-0 Bishop lead.
The Broncos extended their lead to 3-0 just before the end of the half. Diego Gonzalez ran onto a loose ball on the right side of the field and attacked the goal. Gonzalez dropped a nice pass to Galen Busby who one-touched the pass to the right post past the diving Eagles goal keeper.
In the second half, Bishop kept the pressure on until the team had established a commanding 6-0 lead. Jiovanni recorded a hat trick with his third goal of the game in the first five minutes of the second half. Jio launched a hard shot that was saved, but Busby collected the rebound on the right side and passed back to the left. Jiovanni was there and buried a low shot to the left corner for the score.
Moments later Jio made a series of moves down the right sideline to the endline where he crossed a centering pass to Adrian who nailed a one-touch shot into the back of the net for a 5-0 lead. Adrian returned the favor in the 15th minute of the second half when he attacked down the left side and passed to Jio in the center of the 18-yard box. Jiovanni made a nice cut to open up space and then scored his fourth goal of the afternoon.
With a 6-0 lead, Bishop head coach John McGurke called off the wolves and began to substitute freely. The Broncos worked on their passing, moving the ball across the back of their defense and probing the sidelines at midfield. The team would pull the ball back and work on a game of keep-away to take time off the clock without running up the score.
Late in the half, Bishop keeper Gardiel Santana got some good work in, making a diving save, and then facing a Southlands’ penalty kick. Gardiel guessed right on the PK, diving to his right and deflecting the shot with an outstretched hand to keep the shutout intact.
With the 6-0 victory, the Broncos advanced to take on New Community Jewish today at 3 p.m. If Bishop wins, the team will host a game on Thursday at 3 p.m. The Broncos would most likely play Division 6 No. 3 seeded Desert Hot Springs. Check Thursday’s paper for results of Tuesday’s game and then, hopefully, take a little time off on Thursday afternoon to watch a talented Bishop team. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 11 April 2008 )
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