By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE – San Benito goalkeeper Xavier Ibarra was quite busy during Thursday’s South Texas Futbol Showcase game against Lopez at Rivera.
Among his many impressive saves, however, came one crucial mistake – a blunder that proved to be decisive in the Lobos’ 2-0 win over the Greyhounds.
Having already stopped big shots by Aaron Martinez, Juan Jaramillo, and others, San Benito had withstood plenty of pressure from Lopez throughout the first half.
With less than 10 minutes to go in the period, Luis Gonzalez found space to get off a long distance shot, a 30-yarder that bounced in front of Ibarra and trickled through his legs to give the Lobos the lead.
Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said his team’s approach was to attack from anywhere they could create separation and to not pass up any open looks, even if those chances came further away from the goal.
“In the first half we told (the players) to keep pushing the ball up,” Escandon said. “We told them to take shots whenever they have a chance, and obviously we took a shot and there was a mistake by the goalie, but regardless it went in.”
Lopez’s Jovan Zamarripa struck from close range in the second half to provide the Lobos with an insurance goal.
“It was a set play and (Zamarripa) was there at the right time,” Escandon said. “It worked out. … We try to get whatever (the defense) gives us. I told the kids, whatever you read from the defense, that’s what we’ll do. Those set plays, they call them themselves. That tells us that the intelligence is there, (it just comes down to) the execution I guess just to finish with goal. But we’re very happy with them.”
One of the game’s most notable athletic sequences came late in the second half, when Lopez’s Miguel Perez made an acrobatic shot while fading away and leaning off of one leg, and Ibarra leaped across the goalie’s box to knock the ball out of play.
San Benito’s Hector Garcia (first half) and Axel Rivera (second half) were both issued yellow cards during Thursday’s contest.