Valencia beats Tustin, keeps pace with Kennedy in title chase
PLACENTIA – For the past four games, the county’s leading goals scorer has been shut out, but on Monday night, Fernando Perez scored for the first time in more than 350 minutes to help lead host Valencia to victory, 4-1, victory against Tustin on a night when the Tigers’ Empire League championship hopes couldn’t bear another loss.
Kennedy also won on Monday, edging Pacifica, 1-0, so they are in first place just a half of a game ahead of Valencia. Both teams have three games remaining.
Perez’s goal in the 36th minute was his 24th of the season, which extended his lead in the county over Servite’s Conner Bevans, who has 22 goals.
“It’s not that he hasn’t had opportunities to score since Western,” Valencia coach Barry Gardner said.
That was the game in which Perez last scored a goal until Monday night. And he had quite a game against the Pioneers, firing in five goals that day.
“He has been in kind of a slump, though too, so getting him back on the score sheet tonight is really good. We have been trying to get Mario Gatica sparked, too.”
Mission accomplished there. Gatica knocked two goals for the Tigers (17-2-3, 7-1-1), their first and last ones. He also helped set up Perez’s goal which gave Valencia a 3-0 lead at the half. Gatica dribbled down the left touchline and into the corner where he slipped between a pair of Tustin (9-3-2, 4-3-2) defenders as he sent the ball flying toward the box.
“He was organized. He controlled the ball. He had good balls in space,” Gardner said. “He was organized going forward to the goal, so it is good to add him to the mix.”
Gardner also liked the speed and shape his outside midfielders showed on Monday night. Both were lacking when the Tigers face Kennedy last Wednesday, and the Fighting Irish shut the Tigers out, 2-0. In that game, Gardner said his midfielders came in too narrow and compact to be much of a factor.
Valencia let Tustin get back into the game in the second half after firing shot after shot sail either to the side of the goal or over it. According to Garnder’s count, Perez had six chances to score in the final 20 minutes. None resulted in a goal.
And in the 65th minute, Tustin pulled two within two goals of Valencia when Jimmy Ojeda delivered a pass to Luis Arteaga at the far side of the 6-yard box. Artega beat Valencia’s keeper low to give Tustin its only goal of the game.
“It is frustrating (to not take advantage of scoring chances) because it allows the other team to feel like they have some momentum,” Gardner said. “And when they went 3-1 with 15 minutes left, you let them know that they have a chance to come back. We need to get more consistency putting those goals away.”
