Pacheco soccer blows out Placer for first playoff win

While he was cursing them at the time, Pacheco boys soccer coach Wes Wing thinks the string of injuries that plagued his squad in the month of January proved to be a blessing.

A lot of the Panthers’ internal issues were forced to the surface and dealt with far sooner than they would have been if a shorthanded Pacheco hadn’t been forced to grind out results. The adversity brought the team together in a way that comfy victories never could have.

That chemistry was on full display at Veterans Stadium on Thursday night – particularly with the Panthers’ front three – as Pacheco cruised into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals with an impressive display in a 7-0 victory over Placer.

The playoff victory is the first in the program’s history and laid to rest the ghosts from last season’s unexpected first-round exit. The second-seeded Panthers will host No. 6 Liberty Ranch in the semifinals on Tuesday night. The Hawks upset No. 3 Lindhurst 3-0.

“The first five minutes were a little nerve racking, but we settled in quickly after that and played the kind of game we want to play,” Wing said. “We could see it coming in practice yesterday. Our front three guys were just putting together some beautiful plays and that carried over into the game.

“I was surprised when they didn’t put pressure on our back line. They fell off and allowed us to pass it around. That plays perfectly into what we want to do.”

While 75 minutes of the contest were all smiles for Pacheco, the game’s opening minutes had to have a few hearts in the Panther faithful’s throats.

Perhaps feeling the heat of expectations or simply first-game playoff nerves, Pacheco (18-2-4) was sloppy out of the gate. A Placer (8-10-1) squad with a playoff game already under its belt almost took full advantage, creating a dangerous chance just a minute in.

A turnover at the back led to a mini Hillmen breakaway just over a minute into the contest, forcing an excellent save from Jesus Lopez (three saves).

The close call seemed to be the wake-up call that Pacheco needed as it took over the game shortly after, beginning with a Cesar Martinez goal in the ninth minute.

Outside back Leonel Porras created the play, cutting in from the left wing and then carving up the Placer defense with a through pass to a charging Martinez on the right. He controlled the ball and calmly finished to make it 1-0.

Martinez struck again just five minutes later, sprung free by an Alfonso Lopez pass this time to make it 2-0 in the 14th minute. The route was officially on two minutes later as Martinez turned play maker, passing a ball over the top that Rodolfo Rivera tracked down and finished with a left-footed laser to make it 3-0.

“When I scored the first goal I felt a lot better and our play improved,” said Martinez, who now has eight goals and three assists in the four games since he returned from injury. “I felt bad because I couldn’t play. It’s been good being back from the injury.”

Martinez’s return solidified one of the top offenses in the section. The Panther forward trio of Martinez, Rivera and Pablo Ortiz seems to have found their groove again, combining for six goals and three assists in the victory.

Rivera and Ortiz put the game away quickly in the second half, as Rivera finished off his second goal of the night in the 51st minute. Thirty seconds later he set up Ortiz to make it 5-0.

Martinez finished off his hat trick in the 63rd minute and Edurado Geroge came off of the bench to add another in the final minutes.

“The guys played really well tonight,” Wing said. “This was a memorable way to get our first playoff win. Hopefully now that we have our feet wet, we can build on this and continue this high level of play in the next round.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Pacheco soccer blows out Placer for first playoff win."