SD Prep Sports               Pro Soccer

www.geocities.com/sdprepsports

E-mail us at sdprepsports@aol.com

 

Home   Swimming/Diving   Cross Country  Track & Field   Roller Hockey   Water Polo   CIF Scorecard

 

San Diego Gauchos:

Where are they now?

 

Gauchos show better form, top Gold, 2-0

 

By Phillip Brents

 

CHULA VISTA, April 24, 2004 -- Heading into Saturday’s USL Pro League contest at Southwestern College against the California Gold, San Diego Gauchos head coach Bob Maruca had five terse words to say about his team’s previous performance against the Fresno Fuego, a 5-1 loss in the Gauchos’ home opener.

 

“Nothing about last week’s game,” he said in reference to pre-game interviews.

 

The Gauchos appeared to erase all memories of that April 17 debacle as well by territorially dominating the Gold en route to a 2-0 victory.

 

Hector Meza’s head shot in the 27th minute held up for a 1-0 halftime lead as the Gauchos managed to penetrate the Gold’s defense after both teams had opened the match with equal scoring chances.

 

Tim Roty supplied the cross from the left attacking flank after beating a Gold defender and turning to face the goal box from the cornerkick flag.

 

The Gauchos, who improved to 2-1-0 with the victory, host the Utah Blitzz in a two-game series this weekend. The Gauchos will play the Blitzz Friday, April 30, at 7 p.m. at Southwestern College and rematch with the Blitzz Saturday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at Balboa Stadium.

 

Utah won last season’s Western Conference title and is off to a 0-1-2 start this season following a pair of draws against the Gold (0-1-2) and a 1-0 loss at Fresno.

 

Lineup changes from the home opener for the Gauchos included forward Isaias (“Chai”) Bardales, Meza and midfielder Jorge Macias, who was taking the spot for suspended forward Noel Musicha, who had picked up two yellow caution cards against Fresno.

 

Meza was making a start after entering the game against the Fuego as a substitute while Bardales was making his season debut for the Gauchos after joining the team from prior assignments at Syracuse University and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

 

“We played with a little more intensity. We played with more focus,” Maruca said. “It’s nice because this was an Open Cup qualifier. We went to the Open Cup two years ago but not last year. Our first goal (this season) was (to return to) the Open Cup.”

 

The level of play exhibited in two games thus far at DeVore Stadium has been very attractive and entertaining. That adequately summed up the second half of play that saw the Gauchos double their lead.

 

 Herculez Gomez scored his first goal of the season on a nifty head shot in the 64th minutes, knocking in a cross on a cornerkick by Meza from the right side of Gold goalkeeper Mitchell Watson. Gomez celebrated by ripping off his shirt in the tradition of former indoor soccer star Tatu of the Dallas Sidekicks. Gomez had an excellent scoring chance just scream over the top of the crossbar three minutes later.   

 

Notepad
The band Stranger will provide a halftime and post-game concert at the Gauchos’ April 30 match against Utah. For more information, visit the Web sites at www.strangerband.com and www.sandiegogauchos.com.   

 

The Sweetwater High School cheer squad provided second-half entertainment.

 

 

Fuego leaves Gauchos in the cold

Fresno PDL team  racks up 5-1 victory

 

By Phillip Brents

 

CHULA VISTA, April 17, 2004 -- Fuego means “fire” in Spanish and the Fresno Fuego of the Premier Development League took out the San Diego Gauchos' fire in Saturday’s USL Pro League home opener at Southwestern College.

 

Final score: Fresno 5, Gauchos 1.

 

The loss was the worst for the Gauchos in a season opener on their home field in their three years in the league.

 

The Gauchos (1-1-0) will attempt to regain their winning form when they play the Modesto-based California Gold Saturday at Southwestern College. Kick-off is 7 p.m. The Gauchos will hand out thundersticks as a promotional giveaway at the game. 

 

For anyone who ever bemoaned the lack of scoring in outdoor soccer, they were in for an eye-opener Saturday as both teams supplied scoring chances throughout the match – with the Gauchos falling short – and unlucky -- in the finishing department.

 

Fresno forward Orlando Ramirez finished the match, played before a modest crowd due to afternoon rain storms in the area, with one goal and one assist. The Fuego scored the game’s final three goals in a 21-minute span as the Gauchos were pushing upfield in an attempt to tie the match.    

 

The Fuego took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when Jose Espinolda headed in pass off a cornerkick taken by Fabricio Codeceira.

 

Gaston Cignetti gave Fresno a 2-0 lead in the 37th minute when he put the finishing touches on a counter-attack against the run of play.

 

Cignetti’s goal came after two near-misses at the Fuego net by the Gauchos, who had started to control play after the visitors had owned territorial play in the opening 25 minutes.

 

The Gaucuhos showed some resiliency by getting one goal back in the 41st minute when Jorge Macias took a direct free kick from the edge of the defensive box. Macias’ shot went underneath the Fresno defensive wall and carried into the near corner of the net past goalkeeper Jeremy Proud.

 

Fresno came right back, hitting the side post a minute later. The return bicycle volley forced Hearron to make a flying acrobatic save to keep his team within one goal.

 

The first half ended with Fresno holding an 11-5 edge in shots.

 

The second half opened with attractive, exciting, offensive soccer by the Gauchos, sparked primarily by halftime substitute Rob Monroe (Chula Vista High). But the Fuego proved to be pesky despite the run of play, and Hearron was required to make a save in the 56th minute to keep the Gauchos down by one goal. After Hearron made the initial save, a Fresno played put a head ball over the net on the ensuing cornerkick.

 

The Gauchos then got their chance – or, rather, chances.

 

Noel Musicha got past the Fresno defense in the 58th minute. Instead of shooting the ball around the Fuego goalkeeper, Musicha tried to pass the ball across the goalmouth to an onrushing teammate. But the pass was too quickly made and the onrushing teammate was too far behind the play to tap in the low cross.

 

Nice idea but executed to a chorus of boos by Gauchos’ fans.

 

The hosts got a second chance at nearly the same play five minutes later when Monroe slipped behind the Fuego defense. However, Monroe’s shot was saved by a Fresno defender and knocked over the endline at the last second.

 

The Fuego made few mistakes after that.

 

Fresno finally took the drama out of contest by scoring its third goal in the 69th minute. Orlando Ramirez scored on an assist by Codeceira, his second of the match .

 

The Fuego added goals in the 80th and 90th minutes. Milton Blanco made the score 4-1 in Frenso’s favor on an assist by Ramirez while Edgardo Contreras received credit for the visitors’ final goal.   

 

Notepad

Sweetwater High’s ROTC unit delivered the colors to start the game and Bonita Vista High’s R&B dance team provided the halftime entertainment.