Jackets take 5-1 soccer win

Posted 2/4/21

The Mineola Yellowjackets opened their home slate of the 2021 campaign with a 5-1 victory over the Van Vandals Friday. Coach Shelby Turner’s side put on a great second half performance as their confidence grew with each attack into the Vandals’ zone.

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Jackets take 5-1 soccer win

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The Mineola Yellowjackets opened their home slate of the 2021 campaign with a 5-1 victory over the Van Vandals Friday. Coach Shelby Turner’s side put on a great second half performance as their confidence grew with each attack into the Vandals’ zone.

The early minutes of the match belonged to Van. The Vandals were quicker to the ball in the midfield and spot-on with their passing accuracy. 

Mineola’s initial offensive forays into the Vandal zone were neutralized by a series of offsides calls against the Yellowjackets. Protestations by the Jackets resulted in a yellow card and a red card.

As frustration grew among the home side, the Vandals took advantage. In the 5th minute, Van connected with a centering pass which was batted down in front of the Jacket goal. They slotted the rebound into the corner of the net for the opening score.

Mineola adjusted their attack and evened the score in the 9th minute. Turning the play out of the midfield, Jacket strikers Omar Galaz and Jairo Mata attacked down the right side. When the Van goalkeeper came out to meet the threat, Galaz deftly beat him to the short side with a low scoring strike.  

Mineola withstood immense pressure from the Vandals, as Van pressed every opportunity. Up until the 18th minute of play, the Jackets struggled to clear the ball from their own zone, and Van missed a number of solid scoring chances. 

Two Mineola attacks – one by Galaz and one by Fernando Rodriguez – seemed to awaken the team. In the 22nd minute, a break by Yimi Nunez down the left side resulted in a cross which was just out of reach of Nathan Rojas and Mata.

Van still attacked and had their best chance on a free kick from 20 meters out. The shot avoided the 4-man Mineola wall but was saved by John Underwood in goal. 

The closing minutes of the half were end-to-end soccer. Galaz rattled the crossbar with an explosive shot in the 34th minute and put a left-footed shot just over the crossbar in the 35th minute.  

The Jackets came out with purpose in the second half. Nice combination play by Ramiro Mata, Morgan Wagoner and Riley Weekly worked the ball out of trouble up the right side.

Rojas and Nunez teamed for an attack, changing the ball from right to left to right with Nunez scoring to take the lead in the 44th minute.  

In the 51st minute Galaz outran the Vandal defense to reach a ball played ahead and finished from the left side, striking the ball home with the outside of his right foot to make the score 3-1.

As Van’s desperation built, so did the Yellowjackets’ confidence. 

Perhaps the most telling sequence of the game was the effort of Alexis Villeda in setting up the fourth goal. Villeda blocked two consecutive passes in the Vandal zone, raced to compete for the ball deep in the corner and earned a throw-in. The throw-in came to Nunez. He centered the ball to Rojas who sharply put it in the net. 

Mineola added a late goal by swarming the Vandal zone in the 73rd minute to make the final 5-1. 

The Mineola strikers benefited from their excellent pace and skills on the ball, as the team played ball after ball through the high Vandal line. The direct manner of play suits the team well and makes for exciting soccer.

Of note, Gustavo Sanchez and Riley Weekly had solid games in the midfield, while Underwood played near flawlessly in goal. 

Now 2-0 in district, the Yellowjackets played at Bullard Tuesday and will face Cumberland at home Friday.