Nevarez hat trick sparks Pacheco soccer over El Capitan in WAC

Michael Perkins did everything he could to warn his team.

Whether it was the triple-digit heat, the long ride in from Los Banos or a hangover from beating Central Valley for the first time in school history, the Pacheco High School boys soccer team listlessly went through its pregame warmups Monday afternoon.

Predictably, that energy carried into the game. El Capitan took full advantage, dictating the opening 25 minutes and creating dangerous chances. That’s when Pacheco junior striker Brian Nevarez decided he needed to elevate his game.

Nevarez and his pace began taking advantage of a high Gauchos back line as the Panthers fed him balls over the top. He changed the dynamic of the game when he opened the scoring on one such ball in the 28th minute. Nevarez added two more after the break and Pacheco cruised to a 4-0 victory.

“That’s a credit to El Capitan early on,” Perkins said. “They took the field with an energy that we didn’t have, and they took it to us for most of the first half. They created some dangerous chances, and we were fortunate they didn’t score any of them.

“Brian’s goal helped turn things around. They were playing a very high line, but we didn’t really take advantage. It’s not really our style of play, so it wasn’t until I pointed out, ‘Hey, look where the space is,’ that we finally started playing some balls over the top. If Brian gets a step on a defender there, he’s tough to catch.”

Rodolfo Rivera was the first to heed Perkins’ advice. With the Gauchos’ back line all within 10 yards of midfield, Rivera curled a ball into the sprinting path of Nevarez. He won the foot race to the ball and then chipped high over charging El Capitan goalkeeper Juan Valdovino. The ball caught more air than Nevarez intended, but he stayed with it and chested home his 16th goal of the season.

As much as Nevarez’s goal against the run of play hurt the Gauchos (1-7-2, 0-3 Western Athletic Conference), Hugo Zambrano’s strike just before the half was backbreaking.

Pacheco (11-3, 2-0) again took advantage of the defense’s high line, springing Zambrano with a through ball right down the middle. He just beat Valdovino in a race to the ball, with his initial shot glancing off the goalie’s chest. The ball had topspin, though, and caromed over the keeper to give Zambrano a tap-in and the Panthers a 2-0 lead at the break.

“The first goal changed things. The second goal really changed things,” Gauchos coach Ray Abarca said. “We just didn’t have much energy again after that. At halftime, I told them over and over, let’s just get one and we’re right back in it.

“We didn’t have an answer for (Nevarez), however. That speed killed us, and he did the finishing that we couldn’t do in the beginning of the game.”

Reinvigorated after the two quick goals to close the half, a much more confident Panthers squad took the pitch for the second half. Pacheco displayed the possession passing game it’s known for and forced El Capitan to chase for the final 40 minutes. That opened extra space for Nevarez, who left no doubt as to the outcome.

Nevarez beat two defenders to a bouncing ball, heading it past them. He then sidestepped a charging keeper and promptly finished to make it 3-0. Nevarez completed his hat trick – with his team-leading 18th goal – in the 70th minute, again shifting to an extra gear to win a sprint and give himself a shooting angle.

“When El Cap was getting chances they probably shouldn’t have been getting, I started picking up my game,” Nevarez said. “I knew we needed some energy, so I started making whatever runs I could.

“Coach told us to start playing some balls long, but once we did, they couldn’t keep up.”

Livingston 3, Ceres 0 in Livingston – Enrique Medina scored twice and Chris Gonzalez scored once as the Wolves (5-4-1, 2-0 WAC) kept pace with Pacheco and Patterson atop the WAC standings.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 8:19 PM with the headline "Nevarez hat trick sparks Pacheco soccer over El Capitan in WAC."