Posted Sep. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 15, 2015 at 10:52 PM
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STOCKTON — A defensive battle took an unexpected turn at the start of the second half as the Galt-Liberty Ranch boys soccer team shocked Edison with three goals in less than three minutes.
Hawks senior Marcus Guerrero was heavily involved with four assists overall, and even set up a goal for himself to help the Hawks pound the Vikings 5-1 in a nonleague match Tuesday at Edison High.
“I told the players (at halftime) we needed a goal to wake up,” Liberty Ranch coach Juan Vallejo said. “We were passing the ball well all over the field and by doing that we created gaps that (Guerrero) could use because he’s a natural player. That helps him advance and create opportunities to shoot.”
Tied at a goal apiece, Guerrero sent a cross to a charging Leonardo Soto for Liberty Ranch (9-4) to beat Edison keeper Jayson Mocencio one-on-one. With that, the Vikings (1-6-1) fell behind to the Hawks 2-1 two minutes into the second half.
After a quick steal, Guerrero blasted a shot toward the Edison net, which was deflected but landed at Soto’s feet, who chipped it in for a 3-1 advantage.
Another turnover on the kickoff allowed Guerrero to dribble past two defenders with a nice flick and eventually scored in the 44th minute for a 4-1 lead. He’d assist Carlos Navarro four minutes later for the 5-1 final score.
“Sometimes you come out and everything starts to click,” Guerrero said. “We try not to play too selfishly — I just try to get the ball to whoever’s there for the goal.”
Edison senior Adan Hernandez tied the match with his team’s only goal, in the first half, on an assist from Agustin Guerrero.
“We played well in the first half and they had trouble stopping us,” Vikings coach Ruben Martinez said. “That (Guerrero) is an awesome player. He took us out (of our game). We really played a good game … except for those three minutes. Hopefully our players learn they have to be awake from the first whistle all the way to the end.”
— By Scott Niendorf, Record Correspondent