Also, SHS boys hoops suffers second straight loss
MORGAN HILL — An undeviating dose of light showers couldn’t slow Live Oak’s potent attack Friday.
Neither could the Del Mar Dons.
Fabiola Diaz netted her 13th goal of the season, Amanda Whitling added a score off a superb cross from Megan Rauschnot, and the Lady Acorns worked their fourth straight shutout, blanking Del Mar 2-0 in a Blossom Valley Athletic League-Santa Teresa Division game at Live Oak High School.
“Basically, we just wanted to play it safe today defensively because of the rain,” Acorns coach Tony Vasquez said. “We wanted to knock it around in the back and just get it to our players — Megan, Fabi, Amanda Morgan — and let them play.”
Diaz toe-putted home a loose ball sent in on Amanda Morgan’s corner kick in the 22nd minute. The ball deflected off the hands of Dons goalkeeper, Suzanne Bernt, who was marking Whitling.
The Acorns (11-1-2 overall, 7-1-2 BVAL) led 1-0 at halftime and pushed ahead with Whitling’s goal in the 45th minute. The score was set up by Rauschnot, a freshman midfielder, who sprinted past Del Mar defenseman Olivia Hadidian down the sideline while looking to pass. Rauschnot found Whitling wide open less than 10 yards from the net.
Whitling first-timed the ball tightly over Bernt.
“I didn’t feel like their defense was strong,” Vasquez said. “So we could attack, but, at the same time, mark their best players.”
The Dons (11-3-1, 7-1) held a 14-10 edge in shots and nearly got two goals from senior forward Maricella Padilla in the second half. Padilla launched a clear shot from 15 yards out in the 50th minute, but Acorns goalie Gladis Covarrubias batted the ball wide off the crossbar. Covarrubias stopped Padilla again in the 78th minute, leaving the box to deflect a one-timer.
“The rain, it always makes the field slippery,” Live Oak defenseman Julia Hartl said. “We just tried to stay in front of the ball more and be ready for skipping passes. The goalies had to really get prepped for that. Defensively, we knew (Padilla) was their play-maker. So we just gave most of our attention to her.”
Padilla also came close to scoring in the 30th minute, when she dribbled past goalkeeper Selena Braun, who started in net for the Acorns, and let loose a shot from just inside the penalty box. Hartl back-checked to clear it just in time.
“You saw what (Padilla) can do. She’s very talented,” Vasquez said. “We just had Julia stay on her the whole game, and Julia did an excellent job marking her.”
Working a half apiece, Covarrubias and Braun combined for five saves.
The Acorns, who travel to Overfelt on Wednesday, remained in second place behind Willow Glen.
“It’s hard not to look ahead to Willow Glen, because that’s the game,” said Vasquez, whose team hosts the undefeated Rams Feb. 6. “It might come down to that to decide who gets into CCS. I think we’re hungry from last year; not making it. So we’ll definitely be ready.”
Bulldogs’ offense denied in loss
The Lady Bulldogs tallied 10 shots, but couldn’t net a goal Friday against Piedmont Hills.
Megan Jurado scored twice off assists from Ashley Williamson and Bryonna Sullivan, and the host Pirates won 2-0 in BVAL-Mount Hamilton Division play.
Goalkeeper Alicia Ochoa worked a shutout for Piedmont Hills (8-7, 4-5), which snapped a two-game losing streak.
Sobrato (1-10-3, 1-7-1) got three shots from Roxana Moreno and two apiece from Kayla Nishimatsu and Maureen King. Maggie Cropp squeezed 14 saves for the Bulldogs, who host Pioneer at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday.
BOYS SOCCER
Lick slips by LO
Live Oak was held scoreless for the third consecutive game Thursday, and paid for it with a 1-0 loss at home to James Lick.
Comets forward Richard Arreola scored the only goal in the second half.
James Lick improved to 9-3-2 overall and 4-2-2 in BVAL-Santa Teresa Division play, while the Acorns fell to 5-5-3 and 2-3-2.
Live Oak on Tuesday will travel to Pioneer before coming home to face first-place Willow Glen on Thursday.
Sobrato shutout by Westmont
Steve Oei assisted goals for Steven Isreal, Everado Meza and Chris Pantelion, and the Westmont Warriors blanked Sobrato 3-0 Thursday in a BVAL-Santa Teresa Division game in Campbell.
Westmont (4-5-5, 4-1-3) scored once in the first half and twice in the second.
The Bulldogs will look to snap a two-game slide Tuesday on the road against Yerba Buena. Sobrato hosts Leland next Thursday.
BOYS BASKETBALL
SHS drops second straight
After rising to first place in the BVAL-Santa Teresa Division standings less than two weeks ago, Sobrato suddenly is in danger of falling out of the CIF-Central Coast Section playoff hunt.
The Bulldogs suffered their second straight home loss in division play Friday, falling 51-49 to Andrew Hill (7-9, 4-2).
Sobrato (14-4, 4-2), which travels to Independence on Tuesday, had not lost consecutive games since Feb. 6-8 last year.
This time, LO comes out on top
Live Oak finally got the close league win first-year coach Vince Pacheco said was coming.
The Acorns on Friday snapped a two-game slide with a 46-43 victory over Prospect in Live Oak Gym, improving to 6-11 overall and 2-4 in BVAL-West Valley Division play.
The Acorns, who suffered each of their four division losses by single-digit margin, have tripled their win total from a year ago.
They host Yerba Buena — Pacheco’s former team — at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
SHS begins challenging stretch run with loss
Sobrato opened a three-game road stint with a 67-49 loss at Piedmont Hills on Friday.
The Lady Bulldogs (10-7, 2-4) didn’t lose pace with the Pirates (8-8, 3-2) until the third quarter, when Piedmont Hills outscored them 18-8.
The Pirates led 28-21 at halftime.
Courtney Sedlak scored a team-high 10 points, Shealyn Kunze and Priyanka Kumar added nine apiece, and Michelle Bradley collected eight points and eight rebounds for Sobrato, which will play six of its remaining BVAL-Mount Hamilton Division contests on the road.
The Bulldogs meet Leigh at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
RUGBY
Acorns blank Tri Valley
In a nonleague match that was moved from Live Oak High School because of poor field conditions, the Acorns overwhelmed the Tri Valley Vikings 35-0 Saturday at Paradise Park in Morgan Hill.
Live Oak set the tone early as senior 8-man Mason Lammers scored the first try five minutes into the game. The Acorns tallied four more tries in the first half — one apiece by seniors Alex Muhn (center), Nick Ferguson (scrum half), B.J. Heinan (wing) and junior prop Thomas Mangano — on the way to leading 25-0 at halftime.
