Short-handed Tokay wins TCAL opener
Defending league champion Tigers open league play
There are 27 Tokay High boys soccer players listed on the team’s roster.
In Friday’s Tri-City Athletic League opener against Tracy, the Tigers only had three-quarters of the team present at Hubbard Field. But thanks to a fast start from one of its starters, Tokay, the two-time defending league champion, wasted little time in silencing the Bulldogs, 4-0.
Midfielder Eduardo Guillen made it 1-0 for Tokay (1-0 in the TCAL, 8-1) in the early minutes of the first half. Then Tiger teammate in striker Lionardo Ruiz, one of the team’s two captains, stayed busy on offense the next 10 minutes. Not even halfway through the first half, Ruiz, a three-year starter, scored the Tigers’ next two goals to make it a 30. Ruiz had four shots on goal.
“We went up 3-0, that’s fine. I don’t want to give up anything,” said Tokay coach Ruben Gomez.
The Tigers’ offense, in the first half, relied mostly on moving the soccer ball outside of the field. Then they would use their passing game to move the ball at midfield that was sprinkled with more ground passes. That created opportunities for midfielder Eduardo Guillen, a junior, who also had four shots on goal. Teammates Luis Baez and Jordan Baumback had three each.
For most of the second half, the Tigers’ defense continued to keep the Bulldogs silenced. Tracy (0-1 in the TCAL, 6-4) only had eight chances in the entire game. Its chances of moving the ball into the Tigers’ net was in the final minutes of the game when Mikel Concepcion had a shot on goal from the right side of the Tigers’ box. But Tokay goalie Cristian Valencia — one of the team’s three goalies — scooped up the ball in front of the box for the save.
“We’ve been neck-andneck with them the last few years,” said Gomez of the Tigers’ meetings against the Bulldogs.
Tokay expanded its lead to 4-0 in the 75th minute of the game. Defender Eduardo Rodriguez, taking a pass from Baumback, slide the soccer ball from the left side of the box into the right corner of the net.
Gomez was without the services of two starters in Friday’s game. Midfielder Sebastian Quiroz, who suffered a rolled ankle injury, stood on the sidelines wearing work out clothes. Defender Nicholas Manteon was serving a one-game suspension after receiving a red card against Galt in a nonleague contest, also at Hubbard Field, on Dec. 19.
On top of that, there nearly a half-dozen players absent because of their families being out-of-town; the Tokay student body and faculty return from their threeweek Christmas/New Year’s break on Monday. Despite
missing players, the Tigers roared their way to their TCAL victory.
“We’re short-handed; both teams,” said Gomez, who noted that Tracy coach Phil Kalis was also missing players from the game. “I knew going in, under the circumstances it was going to be a good (game) for us. Especially being shorthanded.”
Winning the first league game on the Tigers’ revamped home turf is a nice feeling for Gomez and company.
“It’s a good feeling,” Gomez said. “We expect everybody to come out strong on us.”
Tokay had 21 shots on goal against the Bulldogs’ defense; nine came in the first half.
The Tigers return to league action at West on Wednesday.