Bulldogs use PK, late score to advance
CALEXICO — The Calexico High boys’ soccer team used a solid second-half effort of play to defeat La Jolla 2-0 at Ward Field here late Tuesday afternoon in a CIF-San Diego Section Div. II play-in game. With the victory, the Bulldogs snag the No. 12 seed in the Div. II tourney and resume playoff action Wednesday when they travel to face No. 5 Bonita Vista.
In order to see action on Wednesday, Calexico needed to work past a physically imposing La Jolla team that had speed and stature not usually seen in local teams.
“That’s why we schedule the games that we do early in the season, to prepare us for games like this,” said Calexico head coach Javier Bernal.
While the visiting Vikings had an obvious height advantage, the Bulldogs were equally as impressive with their footwork and speed, which helped them gain early control of the game.
“We knew (La Jolla) would most likely come in and try to play us more defensively, so the way to counter that is be aggressive on offense,” Bernal said.
With control of the ball, the Bulldogs had a handful of shots on goal in the first half, but were met with an athletic Viking goalkeeper that helped keep the game 0-0. Despite a few wide and blocked shots, the Bulldogs continued to attack the goal in the second half, frustrating the La Jolla players.
Eventually Calexico’s players were met with aggression, resulting in a penalty kick in favor of the Bulldogs.
Senior captain Robert Lopez took the penalty kick and kept it low and to the left to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.
With a majority of the second half still to be played, Calexico continued to attack the Vikings’ goal in search of a second score.
Similar to their first score, the Bulldogs’ relentless attacking style proved to be too much for the Vikings as a Kevin Galvan pass found Alex Serrano, who sent it into the back of the net, giving Calexico a 2-0 lead. Serrano was a strong force in the midfield and along the sideline all game for Calexico, using his speed to disrupt plays on defense and draw players in on offense.
“Honestly, that’s the type of play we expect from all of the players because that’s the way we condition,” Bernal said.
Bernal said he was looking for his players to rest up ahead of Wednesday night’s game at Bonita Vista, which will also be a tough match.
“We played them earlier in the season,” Bernal said. “We lost (2-1) and it was a very physical game.”