Lopez’s five carries Galt
GALT — Gilberto Lopez is listed on the Galt High boys soccer team’s roster with the middle name Angel.
It’s fitting: In the first half of the Warriors’ Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoff game against Lindhurst, the junior midfielder was kept busy flying all over the field at Walker Park.
Lopez’s fast feet, plus with the assistance from teammates, helped top-seeded Galt (23-0-1) record a 7-2 win over No. 8 Lindhurst. The win moves the Warriors into the semifinal game against No. 5 Venture Academy, which defeated No. 4 Liberty Ranch 2-1 that was also played at Walker Park prior to the Lindhurst-Galt contest. That Venture AcademyGalt game will also take place at the same location next Tuesday.
In the seventh minute of the game, 30 yards away from the net, Lopez took a pass from teammate in forward Adrian Copado at the middle of the field. With no Lindhurst player around him, Lopez went the final 30 yards, aimed his kick and booted the soccer ball into the middle of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Another unchallenged goal came just two minutes later, off Lopez’s feet, which gave the Warriors a 2-0 advantage
“I was seeing a lot of open gaps, in the middle of the defense,” Lopez said. “I just tried to attack real hard in the middle.”
Galt, which had 26 shots on goal in the game, bumped its lead to 4-0 thanks to back-toback goals from Lopez in the 15th and 16th minutes. The first shot, which gave him an official hat trick, much like the first two went uncontested. The second shot was a header after a corner kick from midfielder Ramiro Ramirez. Copado also had an assist Lopez’s third goal.
“I feel the first half we came out playing our best game,” said Galt coach Dane White. “We were communicating well. We knew how to get the ball behind the defenders, and scored quickly.”
Lopez had an open shot in front of the Blazers’ net in the 24th minute, which gave the Warriors a 5-0 lead.
“He’s tremendously talented,” said White of Lopez. “I was impressed with his discipline in the first half because he knew where to be, when to pass, when to cross and when to shoot. I couldn’t have been happier with the first 35 minutes of play.”
The rest of the 16 minutes of the half was about the Warriors’ defense. In particular the backline of fullbacks Hector Serrato, Orlando Villalobos and Yobani Serrato. The trio marked up Blazers’ players with the ball near midfield, forcing bad passes and steals that gave Galt the ball back into its possession.
Lindhurst (14-7-1) scored its first goal in the 43rd minute of the game. Coming off a pass, the Blazers’ Fabian Laguna took the shot for the goal that made it 5-1.
The score remained the same until the 70th minute. That’s when Warrior forward Arath Chavez booted the ball from crossfield 10 yards into the corner of the net to make it 6-1.
Seven minutes later, the Warriors punched in their final goal when forward Alexis Gonzalez took a pass from Copado, directly in front of the Blazers’ box, and put the ball into the back of the net.
From the Blazers’ first goal until the Warriors’ sixth,
White was pleased with the backfield’s play. But not how the offense was moving on the field.
“Our backline continued to do excellent work,” White said. “I think we started to break down communication in our middle. They let off a little bit. Then we came out in the second after we had a heartfelt conversation (at halftime) about discipline, they gave us a nod and stood without the kind of discipline. This is a good lesson for them. Even though we took the win ... we’ve got to play harder. They know that they are better than that.”
Lopez added, “I think we got too much confidence in the second half.”
The Blazers scored their final goal of the game in the final minute. Off a penalty kick, Diego Martinez drilled the ball into the back of the net.
Galt went with two goalies against the Blazers. In the first half, Maico Lopez, who celebrated his 17th birthday after the game in which cupcakes were distributed among the Warriors, had five saves. Hector Ochoa, another junior, handled the goalkeeper duties the last 40 minutes, having only three saves.
Venture Academy players stayed after their game against Liberty Ranch to watch Galt in action. Lopez feels his team will be ready for their next playoff game.
“First comes practice (s), and then the game,” Lopez said.