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straight section championship.
“Our team just knows what to do and how to go about doing it, and the leadership we have on the roster really helps with that, especially in the playoffs,” said Gridley coach Jesse Barajas.
Barajas said the rain made things difficult on both teams, but he credited the Bulldogs with following the game plan of waiting out the rain before increasing the intensity with their attack.
“The first 15 to 20 minutes, we couldn’t do a whole lot because it was pouring on us,” Barajas said. “In the locker room before the game, I asked them to be a little conservative in the early going, and as soon as the rain stopped and the wind died down, we had our lines move up about 10 yards each and we just went from there.”
David Gomez, the Bulldogs’ senior leader, got the Bulldogs on the board first in the 20th minute after breaking through the Panthers’ defense with just enough room for a shot from 18 yards out.
“In practices leading up to the game, we set a goal of getting the tempo going early by knocking off an early goal and by playing fast and playing smart,” Gomez said.
After Gomez’s first goal, the Panthers began to mark him with two, and sometimes, three defenders, Barajas said. Once that happened, Gomez took advantage by drawing in defenders and quickly finding a teammate with an open lane toward the goal.
“Gomez just helps with opening things up for us because he demands so much attention from the defense,” Barajas said. “When he is playing well, it helps make the game so much easier for us as a team.”
Enrique Martinez added another goal in the 25th minute and Eusevio Cervantes added Gridley’s third goal in the first half after the University Prep goalkeeper couldn’t get a firm grip on a ball in the box. Cervantes stole the free ball and put it in the back of the net to give Gridley a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
Gomez added his second goal of the game early in the second half and Rodrigo Meza punched in a lategame score to give the Bulldogs the 5-0 win.
“Once we got the first goal, we started to get things going by taking over the field and keeping possession with the ball on their side of the field. We continued to keep the pressure on their defense throughout the rest of the game,” said Gomez, who finished with two goals and an assist in the win. “Everything takes a team effort. The defense did their job in keeping the other team off the scoreboard and we all just played together to get the win.”
Gridley goalkeeper Ernesto Caudillo had four saves in the game, but the Gridley defense, as it did all game, quickly shut down any opportunities the Panthers had on the Bulldogs’ side of the field.
Now the Bulldogs will turn their attention to a semifinal matchup with No. 5 Anderson on Tuesday afternoon at home. The Cubs went on the road and defeated No. 4 Lassen 4-1.
“We need to continue matching the intensity with our opponent in every game from here and not let anyone impose their will on us,” Barajas said. “Once you get past that first game in the playoffs, things sort of start to fall together, so we’re hoping that it continues to stay that way.”
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