MERCED — East Union head coach Ronnie Green looked to his junior varsity call-ups to propel his club to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals on Thursday.
The fifth-seeded Lancers battled No. 4 El Capitan to a 1-1 draw at McNamara Park, forcing a penalty kick shootout they won, 7-6.
Senior forward Giovanni Padilla notched his 26th goal of the season in the first half to give East Union (19-6-2) the early lead. The Central California Conference runner-up Gauchos (12-7-4) tied it in the 57th minute, getting a fortunate deflection for an open-net shot after EU goalie Fernando Segura made a diving save.
Segura was relieved during overtime to make way for JV keeper Fernando Ambriz, who ended up blocking one of the PKs in the shootout after East Union’s second and third shooters missed their attempts.
“I made the decision to switch goalies in the second overtime because Fernando Ambriz moves better laterally for those diving saves,” Green said. “But Segura was the player of the game for me. He had some big saves on point-blank shots in regulation, and when it came time to make the switch he completely understood. He just wanted the team to win.”
Among those making their PKs were Christian Perez, Sammy Diaz and Omar Silva, who were other key members of East Union’s Valley Oak League championship JV squad. Perez was the first in line for East Union during the shootout. Both teams sent nine players to the penalty spot.
In the end, El Capitan missed its final PK high, and Alex Arroyo put away the clinching goal for the Lancers.
“My rule is that whoever is confident and wants to take the PKs can take the PKs,” Green said. “These guys played their first (varsity) minutes in the postseason and contributed.”
East Union ventures to Folsom next Tuesday to tangle with top-seeded Vista del Lago (17-5-1) in the semifinal round. It will be the second matchup between the two programs. They previously met in the 2011 SJS Division IV championship game won by the Eagles, 2-0 — their second of three straight section championships.
The fifth-seeded Lancers battled No. 4 El Capitan to a 1-1 draw at McNamara Park, forcing a penalty kick shootout they won, 7-6.
Senior forward Giovanni Padilla notched his 26th goal of the season in the first half to give East Union (19-6-2) the early lead. The Central California Conference runner-up Gauchos (12-7-4) tied it in the 57th minute, getting a fortunate deflection for an open-net shot after EU goalie Fernando Segura made a diving save.
Segura was relieved during overtime to make way for JV keeper Fernando Ambriz, who ended up blocking one of the PKs in the shootout after East Union’s second and third shooters missed their attempts.
“I made the decision to switch goalies in the second overtime because Fernando Ambriz moves better laterally for those diving saves,” Green said. “But Segura was the player of the game for me. He had some big saves on point-blank shots in regulation, and when it came time to make the switch he completely understood. He just wanted the team to win.”
Among those making their PKs were Christian Perez, Sammy Diaz and Omar Silva, who were other key members of East Union’s Valley Oak League championship JV squad. Perez was the first in line for East Union during the shootout. Both teams sent nine players to the penalty spot.
In the end, El Capitan missed its final PK high, and Alex Arroyo put away the clinching goal for the Lancers.
“My rule is that whoever is confident and wants to take the PKs can take the PKs,” Green said. “These guys played their first (varsity) minutes in the postseason and contributed.”
East Union ventures to Folsom next Tuesday to tangle with top-seeded Vista del Lago (17-5-1) in the semifinal round. It will be the second matchup between the two programs. They previously met in the 2011 SJS Division IV championship game won by the Eagles, 2-0 — their second of three straight section championships.
