The East Union Lancers battled back from an early deficit to beat a game Manteca Buffaloes side 3-1 Thursday night at Dino Cunial field to remain in second place in the Valley Oak League standings.
“You know anytime you play against a rival it is going to be tough,” East Union head coach Ronnie Green said. “Credit to them, they are well coached and came in and muddied things up for us, turned it into an ugly game, and I am just happy we were able to find enough chances to pull out the win.”
Chances were few and far between for both the Lancers (5-1 VOL, 16-3-1 overall) and the Buffaloes (1-4, 7-8-4) early on, as both teams felt one another out.
“We knew coming into tonight we wanted to slow down Yandel (Gutierrez),” Manteca head coach James Burns said. “We strongly believe we have the best defender in the area in Mateo (Esparza), and I thought we did a really good job of that, especially in the first half.”
With East Union’s chances limited on its own end, Manteca broke through for the opening goal 10 minutes in. A long throw in towards the box by senior midfielder Kevin Mundo found the head of midfielder Adriel Vega and between a Lancer defender and goalkeeper Nickolas Zavala to send the Manteca sideline into a frenzy and put the visitors up 1-0.
“That’s the second game in a row we’ve had a breakdown in communication like that,” Green said. “We’re a young team with a ton of underclassmen out there playing, and those are the things that happen as you learn to play together as a team. We make it look ugly at times, for sure.”
East Union would find the equalizer twenty minutes later with 10 minutes to go in the half. A cross into the box by defender Elias Delgado found the head of sophomore Jayden Guzman who headed the ball back across goal to the feet of Gutierrez, who slotted it past Manteca goalkeeper Alexis Marin to make it 1-1, where it would stay until the halftime break.
“They definitely did a good job limiting our chances,” Gutierrez said. “I think the goal by them woke us up a little bit, and credit to the guys and our buildup on that first goal. I think it gave us confidence going into the rest of the game.”
Both defenses settled back in early in the second half, with East Unions back line of Alex Hernandez, Cristiano Barajas and Kevin Vasquez limiting the work required by keeper Zavala.
A hustle play for the Lancers would break the 1-1 draw, as Gutierrez beat goalkeeper Marin to a 50-50 ball just inside the box, lofting the ball high into the air and into the net to put East Union up, 2-1.
“I keep telling our guys the difference between us and really good teams right now are just a few plays like that one,” Burns said. “We get to that ball and keep the game tied and maybe it’s a completely different result.”
The game remained tied for the next 25 minutes, with defenses from both teams keeping chances at a minimum. With just three minutes left in the game, East Union got the clincher from Gutierrez, after a ball into the box fell to the feet of sophomore Carlos Heredia, who’s shot bounced right to Gutierrez, who slotted home his third of the night, and 33rd on the season.
“We really wanted this one tonight,” Gutierrez said. “When you play your rival there is a lot of talking going on out there. I try not to let it get to me and play my game and hope that good things happen, and they did tonight.”
For Burns, Thursday’s result is just further proof that his team is on the right track.
“There are points out there for us to secure in this league,” he said. “The schedule is backloaded for us with a ton of matches at home, and if we play the way we are capable of, we have the ability to string together some wins down the stretch.”
Both teams will resume VOL play on Tuesday. Manteca hosts last place Central Catholic, while East Union will take on Oakdale at home.
