Roundup: Late goals propel Turlock to CCAL boys soccer win
It was business as usual for the Turlock High boys soccer team Wednesday as it once again was forced to play from behind.
The Bulldogs spotted visiting Enochs High a second-half goal, but they did not panic, scoring twice in the final 11 minutes of the game to secure a key 2-1 win in Central California Athletic League play.
Turlock coach Jose Garcia Alonso said the team has suffered from slow starts all season, but it is understandable when the majority of the players on the roster are either getting their first varsity experience or stepping into new roles after the graduation of 12 seniors from last year’s team.
“We have a good, solid team, even though it’s a young team,” Alonso said. “Since we got that team together, they’ve been working very good collectively. They are very technical. Sometimes we start slow, and we’re coming from behind.
“We always have been doing much better during second halves. We started slow but the second half has been when we make our comeback most of the time.”
Enochs scored first in the second half. Christian Khanishian dribbled the ball down the sideline while Fabian Ruiz was sprinting down the middle of the field. Khanishian crossed the ball toward the goal, connecting with Ruiz, who calmly put it away.
“Just like we practice,” said Enochs coach Yovanni Robles, “moving the ball around, taking it to the outside, somebody’s counter-attacking to the other side and crossing the ball. So we did really good. That’s our main game.”
The momentum shifted with under 15 minutes left, when Enochs’ goalkeeper was given a red card after fouling a Turlock forward as the last man back on defense. He was forced to leave the game and the Eagles played with a new goalkeeper and had 10 players on the field.
With 10 minutes, 45 seconds left, Julian Yanez found Fernando Carbajal to even the score at 1-1, and with 1:20 left, Sebastian Carbajal scored the game winner after connecting on a loose ball bouncing inside the penalty box.
“We’ve been focusing on being on the offensive in those situations,” Alonso said. “When we’re down, we need to be offensive. We need to go win everything and sometimes it doesn’t go our way because they get us on the counter-attack, but that’s the game, you have to risk it. We’re not just playing to take games, we are going for wins.”
Both teams entered Wednesday’s contest with a lot to play for. With Gregori sitting comfortably atop the CCAL standings with a perfect record, Pitman, Enochs and Turlock were left to battle it out for the league’s final two playoff spots.
Pitman and Enochs were 3-2 in league games, sitting at second and third, respectively, and Turlock was 2-3, good for fourth place. Turlock’s win now makes it a two-way tie for third place in the league. It was a game the Bulldogs needed to win and one the Eagles couldn’t afford to lose.
The second round of league play started Wednesday — Turlock lost to Enochs in their first matchup, 2-1 — and Alonso said he hopes the win will give his team momentum to make a late playoff push. The Bulldogs went 2-3 in their first five CCAL contests but kept each one close. They lost by a total of three goals.
“This is a huge win for us, we need to stay in as contenders,” Alonso said. “Our goal is to make it to the playoffs. We let some of those games go already, but we need to continue working hard.”
More boys soccer
Beyer 1, Ceres 0: Beyer earned its second Western Athletic Conference win Wednesday after shutting out Ceres. The Patriots play two league games next week, facing Davis and Mountain House.
Davis 2, Los Banos 0: Easton Lund scored both of his goals in the first half in Davis’ WAC win. Aarush Singh and Jacob Lara Alvarez assisted on the goals. Davis maintains third in the league with a 5-4-1 record heading into the last two weeks of the regular season.
Mountain House 1, Johansen 0: Justin Flores scored the game’s only goal to give Mountain House the win. Johansen is 2-2 in its last four games.
Gregori 5, Downey 0: Four Jaguars scored in the game led by senior Adrian Yepez-Yepez’s two scores. Gregori advanced to 6-0 in CCAL play, earning its third season in four years with six or more league wins.
Boys Basketball
Orestimba 80, Denair 35: The Warriors secured their second straight 20-plus win season with Wednesday’s blowout over Denair. Orestimba has won 19 straight Southern League contests and is chasing its second consecutive perfect league record. It sits at 7-0 with five games left.
Riverbank 73, Hilmar 46: Riverbank won its fifth TVL contest to maintain third place in the league standings. The Bruins scored more than 70 points in their last two games. They finish the week against Escalon on Friday.
Ripon Christian 71, Hughson 60: The Knights moved to 6-1 in TVL play after Wednesday’s win. Jake Vander Veen (18 points), Jace Beidleman (18), Luke Crivello (16) and Mason Tamelinc (12) all finished with double figures. The Knights jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Knights host Escalon HS next Tuesday in a rematch of their only TVL loss earlier this season.
Atwater 68, Patterson 57: The Tigers dropped their second league contest in three games with the loss to Atwater. They look to bounce back with a pair of nonleague contests against Tracy and Turlock on Friday and Saturday, respectively, before traveling to Merced to resume Central California Conference play Jan. 31.
Ceres 57, Beyer 50: Beyer led 26-21 at halftime, but a 17-8 third quarter shifted the momentum to Ceres. The Bulldogs fought off Beyer’s fourth-quarter attacks to seal a key league win. Both teams have a 6-2 league record heading into the final WAC games.
Turlock 69, Modesto 50: Turlock led 24-9 after the first quarter and finished with its second league win in which it scored 60 or more points. Turlock maintains second place in the CCAL with the win.
Modesto Christian 60, Lodi 56: The Crusaders were tested throughout their matchup with Lodi High as they trailed 13-7 after the first quarter. Modesto Christian led 30-21 at the half, but the Flames would not go away. Lodi took a 52-49 fourth-quarter lead, but baskets by Gavin Sykes and Myles Jones gave the Crusaders the lead. They closed out the win to stay unbeaten in TCAL play this season.
Central Catholic 58, East Union 22: TP Wentworth, Wesley Payne and James McGee each scored 12 points in the Raiders’ blowout win over East Union. Central Catholic held the Lancers scoreless in the second quarter as it advanced to 6-0 in Valley Oak League play.
Pitman 72, Gregori 67 OT: Gregori used a 6-0 run at the end of the second quarter to cut into Pitman’s first-half lead, heading into the intermission down 39-37 to the CCAL leaders. After a tightly contested second half, Gregori’s Kaleb Smith sent the game into overtime, but Pitman pulled it out to remain a perfect 5-0 in CCAL play. Avery Sanchez finished with 33 points for Pitman. Four Jaguars finished in double figures, led by Raj Sandhu’s 15 points on five 3’s.
Ripon 66, Livingston 37: Ripon earned its fifth TVL win in blowout fashion over Livingston. Wednesday marked Ripon’s 10th straight victory over its league foe dating back to 2018.
Mountain House 81, Johansen 46: The Vikings fell in an early 19-8 hole they could not climb out of as they lost in their league contest against Mountain House. Johansen falls to fifth place in the WAC with a 4-5 record.
Manteca 68, Oakdale 47: Oakdale trailed by just two points at the end of the first quarter, but Manteca slowly pulled away as the game progressed. Manteca won its fifth VOL game and is second, with just one loss behind Central Catholic.
Downey 64, Enochs 59: The Knights rebounded from back-to-back losses with a league win over Enochs. Reuben Lewis scored 17 points and Jayden Coelho added 15. Sumer Panu and Joseph Ramirez added nine apiece. Downey is in the CCAL’s third and final playoff spot.
Girls Soccer
Ceres 5, Beyer 3: The Bulldogs earned their fourth straight WAC win with Wednesday’s showing against Beyer. The Patriots beat Ceres 1-0 earlier this season, but weren’t able to keep Ceres from scoring in their second league matchup.
Johansen 2, Mountain House 2: The Vikings drew a tie with the WAC first-place team. It is Johansen’s fourth tie of league play, but puts it in third place with a 3-1-4 record.
Los Banos 3, Davis 0: Davis suffered its third straight loss after being shut out by Los Banos. The Spartans are still looking for their first WAC win.
Oakdale 1, Sierra 1: Mia Peterson scored the Mustangs’ only goal, assisted by Jocelyn Gradilla as Oakdale finished its final VOL contest this week in a tie. It plays East Union and Central Catholic next week.
Central Catholic 1, Kimball 1: Wednesday’s tie snapped a four-game losing streak for the Raiders as they look to climb in the VOL standings as the season nears its end. They play two games in each of the final two weeks of the regular season.
Gregori 5, Downey 0: Gregori continued to roll in CCAL play, earning its fifth league win in a dominant showing against Downey. Over their past four league games, the Jaguars have not allowed a goal. They are 3-0-1 in those games.
