All inclement weather considered, there was and extraordinary amount of offense between the Bruins and Jaguars yesterday afternoon.  

After a day of rain on an already spotty pitch, one would expect a slow moving battle of attrition.  But instead the two teams amassed 25 shots and five goals.  Cabrillo scored twice in the first half, Wilson scored twice in the second, and then freshman Miguel Larios put home the game-winner in the 61st minute for the Jaguars, 3-2.

“You can’t flood your field and practice for a game like this,” said Cabrillo head coach Pay Noyes.  “You just have to play… a game is a game.”

Still a game, yes.  Still a game like the first meeting between these two a month ago on Cabrillo’s immaculate pitch, which the Bruins won.  But on the Wilson field yesterday, the ball was liable to bounce any which way as the players trudged through the mud and rain, and the extenuating circumstances seemed to be the home teams advantage.

Where as Cabrillo would much rather play the ball on the ground with one-touch crisp passing, Wilson wants to send long balls, dominate in the air and keep the pressure on the opponents back line.  And as it pertains to the stat sheet, that’s exactly what happened.

Wilson outshot Cabrillo 16-to-9, earned more free kicks (14-to-8) and corner kicks (9-to-2).  But all that matters is the scoreboard.  The Jaguars only had five quality shots on goal, but converted three.  The Bruins had 10, and converted two.

“Scoring two goals at home should be enough to win,” said Wilson coach Mark Hervin.  “You look at the stats and you say the Wilson played well, well enough to win handily.  But they defended better than us. When you defend like we did today, you’re not going to win much of anything.”

As was the case all day Wilson put the pressure on Cabrillo early with great throw ins and free kick service from Jake Armstrong.  The roving midfielder wore gloves to grip the wet ball and put two early throws on the keeper.  He also overcame the elements and used them to his advantage on two early corners and a set piece while kicking out of puddles.  Armstrong put some top spin on the ball and placed it high and wide.  The wind and rain did the rest and he recorded three shots on goal in the first ten minutes, but no one got on the end of them and Cabrillo was quick to answer the pressure.

At the 10 minute mark Diego Rivero earned a corner kick after a nice through ball from Cesar Sanchez. Wilfredo Mejia took the corner and put a beautiful ball right into the heart of the box.  Midfielder Rigo Luna came charging forward and easily sent the header home for the games first goal.

The Jaguars would score again seconds before the first half expired on another cross, this time in the flow of play from Sanchez.  Mejia was on the end of this one, and he collected the ball just wide of the near post. He put one touch wide, and then crushed it with the left foot into the far side netting.

After receiving more than an ear full from their coach at halftime, the Bruins came out energetic in the second half as Daniel Herrera came off the bench and got two quick shots on goal.  But Cabrillo goalkeeper Jesus Rodriguez was, as Noyes put it, “on his head all day.”  

Of the ten saves Rodriguez made, five of them were made while in mid air.  The junior had strong hands and quick reactions, but that didn’t help when his defense was outmanned, and that was the case about ten minutes into the second half.  Wilson went for broke, pushing all but one player up, and it paid off.

In the 48th minute Alexis Marin earned a free kick just outside the box, and his chip shot into the goalmouth was met by Frank Nagao’s head for the Bruin’s first goal.  Seven minutes later defender Matt Alvarez sacrificed his body and won a header near midfield.  As he came to the sideline with a bloodied forehead, Marin kicked the bouncing ball toward the Cabrillo goal.  Striker Tony Gonzalez sprinted to beat the Cabrillo defenders to the slow rolling mud-covered ball, and sent a low line drive past Rodriguez for the equalizer.

With the score tied six minutes later, it was time for the freshman phenom to shine once again.  Luna got it started again with a good long throw in to the edge of the box.  With his back to the goal, sophomore Frankie Contreras flicked the ball over his head while falling down, and Larios went to the back post to one-touch it home with his right foot.

Wilson had more quality chances to tie it up again in the final 15 minutes, but Rodriguez proved to be the most valuable player on the soggy pitch.