The second half of Mount Hamilton Division boys soccer has given
the Sobrato Bulldogs exactly what they needed – a fresh start.
Sobrato was 1-8-2 and 0-5-1 in league as of Jan. 19 but has since
broken through for back-to-back wins, beating Leland 3-2 on Tuesday
and Overfelt 4-0 on Thursday. The Bulldogs scored more goals in
those two home wins than in their previous 11 games combined.
The second half of Mount Hamilton Division boys soccer has given the Sobrato Bulldogs exactly what they needed – a fresh start.
Sobrato was 1-8-2 and 0-5-1 in league as of Jan. 19 but has since broken through for back-to-back wins, beating Leland 3-2 on Tuesday and Overfelt 4-0 on Thursday at home. The Bulldogs scored more goals in those two victories than in their previous 11 games combined.
That they are playing like a different team is no coincidence. Sobrato’s midfield is at full strength for the first time, with senior David Mandujano and junior Victor Del Real back after being academically ineligible for most of the season. They have allowed coach Ricardo Martinez to employ a 5-3-2 formation that best suits his personnel.
“We’re able to apply pressure and put the ball in the net,” Martinez said. “We’re much more comfortable with the formation, and the guys are starting to gel together with it.
“We were having a little bit of success with it throughout the year, but we would change it up because every game I was having to figure out what to do with my midfield.”
With many players on vacation for winter break, the Bulldogs had nine field players and two goalies for their first three league matches – losses to Overfelt, 2-0, Yerba Buena, 2-1, and Mount Pleasant, 4-0. Sobrato struggled for goals even at full strength.
The addition of Mandujano, an all-leaguer in 2010-11, has changed that.
“He’s a huge player,” senior midfielder Robbie Rubenzer said.
“With David there we’ve been able to control the ball a little bit more, build the attack better,” Martinez added. “I can have Felipe (Villamares) and Scott (Henningsen) up top, and they’ve been doing pretty good the past couple games.”
Villamares, a senior, scored twice against Leland and followed that with another two goals against Overfelt. Henningsen, the team’s leader in points from 2010-11, scored in both games as well and matched Rubenzer with two assists Thursday.
“We have Felipe and Scott up there because they’re pretty much our best guys,” senior sweeper Shawn Henner said. “Scott has been our go-to guy. He’s done a great job at getting to the ball, and he knows what he’s doing. Felipe has been playing great all season. We just haven’t been able to get him the ball until the last two games. All we were lacking was someone in the middle who could distribute. That’s why David’s huge.”
The Bulldogs have picked up the intensity at practice, Martinez said. Their confidence also is on an upswing.
“We lost a lot of games, but we had 10 guys for a lot of them and still didn’t lose by much,” Rubenzer said. “I feel like we’re gonna beat them next time.”
Ironically the turnaround began with a loss. Coming off a 5-1 thrashing at Lincoln, Sobrato had to face defending Central Coast Section Division II champion Willow Glen. The Bulldogs played with inspired effort in a 2-1 defeat.
“I was just hoping we didn’t get killed,” Henner said. “We knew these guys were good, and we had lost like five in a row. We ended up losing by one, and it was at their place. Our whole mindset changed a lot.”
Sobrato’s rough start weighed especially on Henner, who was injured for most of last year when the team earned its first league championship and CCS playoff berth.
“These past two wins really helped,” he said. “We feel like we’ve started over.”
Notes: Sobrato plays four of its remaining six games on the road, beginning Tuesday at Yerba Buena. The Bulldogs host Lincoln and Willow Glen, the top two teams in the league, Feb. 9-14, respectively.
