After a 3-1 loss to Orestimba High on Dec. 15, Gustine High boys soccer team fell to 2-6 overall. The start was less than idle for a team who made the postseason the year prior, and it seemed the Reds were trending downwards.
Since the start of Southern Athletic League (SAL) play, it’s been a tale of two seasons for Gustine. The team visited Denair High on Monday at 7-9-2 and 5-4-2 against SAL opponents on a three-game winning streak, which included a 3-2 win against the Coyotes on Jan. 26.
In its final game of the season, Gustine defeated Denair, 3-2, to pick up its eighth win of the season at Jack W. Lytton Stadium.
Leading the Reds were its two leading scores in strikers Alex Quezada and Jaime Gomez. Quezada recorded a brace with two goals, increasing his season total to 13, while Gomez ended the regular season with 12 total goals.
While Monday’s match may be the final time for six senior players to suit up, Gustine head coach Lino Maldonado said it felt great to get a win to end the regular season.
“It’s a very good feeling to end this season with a win, it’s going to be something that they’re going to remember,” Maldonado said about the seniors. “And you can tell it means a lot to them.”
After a scoreless drought through the majority of the first half, Denair’s Goliath Padilla delivered the first goal of the evening to put the Coyotes’ ahead, 1-0, in the 34th minute. The goal prompted a celebration with his teammates, but it was short-lived as Gomez responded a minute later to tie the match.
Off of a throw-in, Quezada kicked the ball towards the right side of the goal to give Gustine a 2-1 lead going into the second half.
Denair missed two chances to tie the match within the first 10 minutes of the second half following a missed header from Octavio Valle and Padilla’s missed shot attempt. Those misses proved to be crucial later on.
Quezada drew a foul on the Coyotes’ near the penalty area in the 61st minute, resulting in a penalty kick for Gustine. He made the kick to extend the Reds’ lead to two, prompting a celebration with his teammates.
Through each minute afterwards, it seemed Gustine was going to hold on and win. Denair, however, had other plans as Valle scored a goal in the final two minutes to cut the deficit to one. Following a Reds’ missed shot attempt, the Coyotes had a final chance to avoid a loss. As Zane Simbalenko dribbled the ball down the field and past several Gustine defenders, his shot attempt was blocked by keeper Baylor Bloom in the final seconds.
As the team waits on whether its season will continue, Maldonado hopes that their recent stretch is enough to make a case for a postseason appearance.
“Hopefully, after this win, we were able to sneak into the playoffs,” he said. “If we do that, the fans [need to] go out and support us.”
