SHS trails by less than half a game as second half of league
begins; Lady Acorns play pivotal game Friday
MORGAN HILL — Scoreboard watching is a bad habit; one Paul Nishimatsu would like his girls soccer team to help him kick in the near future.
Nishimatsu isn’t complaining. Midway through the league season, Sobrato is unbeaten in Santa Teresa Division matches, having won three and tied four. But the Lady Bulldogs’ undefeated record isn’t good enough for first place, not while Westmont keeps winning games.
Sobrato stayed right behind if not on top of the Warriors (5-1-1) Wednesday in beating Mount Pleasant 1-0 at the Outdoor Sports Center.
“We’re like .33 percent of a game behind them, so we’re kind of watching what they’re doing,” Nishimatsu said with a smile Thursday. “We need to continue on. Whatever Westmont does, we need to do better.”
Not that they need reminding, but the Bulldogs could have been on the other side had they not surrendered a pair of late scores to Westmont in a 2-2 draw Jan. 20. Nishimatsu and his players took that in stride. The two teams will meet again Feb. 12 during the second half of league, which, for Sobrato, begins at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Lincoln.
“It seems like anything can happen in this division,” said Nishimatsu, whose Bulldogs won the Santa Teresa title on the last day of the 2007-08 regular season. “There’s been teams that weren’t quite together in the first half of league that are now stepping up and grabbing wins here and there.”
Players are rising to the occasion as well. Wednesday, it was junior forward Marissa Benjamin, who scored in the second half on a cross from Jennae Cambra. It was Benjamin’s third goal in four games.
“I’m really happy with what Marissa has accomplished already. We’re getting her to finish more consistently,” Nishimatsu said. “She’s reading her finishes better. We know she has speed, so we’re working on her touch.”
Acorns 0, Santa Teresa 0
The No. 12-ranked Lady Acorns responded well to their first league loss Wednesday while keeping pace with the head of the pack in the Mount Hamilton Division.
Live Oak (8-2-4 overall, 4-1-1 league) and host Branham will play a pivotal match Friday between the only two teams with four wins in Mount Hamilton play. The Acorns hold first place by half a game, but still have to make up a match with Leigh from last week.
Santa Teresa (4-5-4, 3-1-3) is in third.
Live Oak was coming off a 4-1 ambush Monday at Leland, in which the Chargers built a 3-0 halftime lead. Megan Rauschnot scored for the Acorns.
