In a matchup of teams with high expectations this season, Live Oak and visiting Pioneer played to a 1-1 tie in a non-league boys soccer match Friday afternoon.
“I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t know how they would be this year. We lost to them 3-2 last year, so I knew it would be a good game,” said Pioneer coach Nick Hoffman. “I thought we could have played better in the first half. We were much better in the second half; spent most of the time down in Live Oak’s end. Unfortunately we did not win although we had several chances; we put one away but we didn’t get the second one.”
Pioneer competes in the BVAL West Valley "C" Division while Live Oak plays in the Santa Teresa "B" Division, but that didn't temper the Mustangs' optimism heading into the game.
“I did not expect to tie. I expected to win," said Matthew Gatkuoch, who scored Pioneer's lone goal in the second half. "And next time we play them we will win.”
The Mustangs have opened the season by going 0-1-2 against Santa Teresa Division teams.
“We’re improving every day. We’ve played three tough teams and we’ve been right there in it with them," Hoffman said. "A couple of ties in there, but we keep improving. I think when league starts we’ll be in good shape and in a challenge for the division title.”
Meanwhile, Live Oak expects to contend in the challenging BVAL Santa Teresa Division.
"It should be good - we have great players," said Miguel Neto, who scored Live Oak's only goal in the first half. "We need a little bit more conditioning, but we should be good for the rest of the season.”
“I thought we were going to be a little bit more dominant," said first-year Live Oak coach Anthony Martinez. "I thought we would have more chances and get a couple more goals out of it, but right now we’re a little short on players. Most of our players have to play the whole game and you could tell they’re a bit tired by the end of the game.”
Martinez, who is taking over for long-time coach Tony Goble, expects the Acorns to be competitive this season.
“I expected a little bit of back and forth, but I thought overall we did a good job," Martinez said. "I expect us to be competitive every game and win every game. I think we have the players who could give us that opportunity.”
