Hat trick sends Galt past Livingston and into Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys soccer final

The Galt High School boys soccer team started fast and never let up as the second-seeded Warriors cruised to a 5-1 win over No. 3 Livingston in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals Wednesday night.

Isaac Martinez scored the first of his three goals just nine minutes into the match, and eight minutes later, teammate Arath Chavez scored the first of his two goals to give the Warriors (19-1-4) an early 2-0 lead.

“They definitely came out really aggressive,” said Livingston coach Art Pulido, whose team finished the season 14-6-2. “I’m sure they were looking for redemption from last year. We were slipping everywhere. It was tough field conditions, but I guess it’ll prepare us for next year when we go to winter.”

The field had patches of mud, especially around the 50-yard line, and was slick all over.

“It’s our home field, and our motto is we never lose at home,” Martinez said. “Even when our field is pretty bad, we don’t want to lose.”

The game was a rematch of last year’s Division IV semifinal, won by Livingston 2-0.

The Warriors came out determined to avoid a repeat. Martinez split two Livingston defenders, took a couple dribbles toward the left post and fired a shot into the right corner to give Galt a 1-0 lead.

“I took the ball, looked up, and I usually cut right, but I went left this time,” Martinez said. “I saw my opportunity and I took it.”

Chavez followed a Martinez shot and deposited the rebound into the net to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead. Martinez scored again in the 35th minute to give Galt a 3-0 lead at intermission.

“You fall behind and your mind gets down,” Livingston midfielder Ricardo Garcia said. “As a team, we need to keep it up, and that didn’t happen tonight.”

“It’s pretty difficult. You’re trying to get the kids back in the game,” Pulido said. “We’ve come back after being down before. We know it’s possible. We tried. We gave it our best shot.”

Chavez scored his second goal just two minutes into the second half, coming down on a counterattack. Livingston goalie Marco Sobrevilla came out of the box to challenge Chavez, but the midfielder dribbled around him and scored to extend the lead to 4-0.

The Wolves’ bright spot came in the 47th minute when Enrique Medina delivered a pass in front of the net and Garcia headed the ball into the net.

Martinez put the game out of reach after drawing a foul in the box in the 65th minute. His penalty kick gave the Warriors a 5-1 lead.

Galt will face No. 4 seed Liberty Ranch in a battle of crosstown rivals in the title game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove.

Pulido said the Wolves have plenty to be proud of this season.

“I’m very proud of this team,” he said. “We were league champs. We made a long run in the playoffs to the semis. Things just didn’t go our way. We’re going to try to be back next year.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 10:18 PM with the headline "Hat trick sends Galt past Livingston and into Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV boys soccer final."