Yellowjackets, Underwood shut out Vandals, 2-0

Posted 3/3/21

Battling a strong wind sweeping down through Van Memorial Stadium, the Mineola Yellowjackets defeated the Van Vandals, 2-0, in a cleanly-played match last Tuesday.

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Yellowjackets, Underwood shut out Vandals, 2-0

Posted

Battling a strong wind sweeping down through Van Memorial Stadium, the Mineola Yellowjackets defeated the Van Vandals, 2-0, in a cleanly-played match last Tuesday.

There were two stand-out performances as the Yellowjackets started the second round of district play. Goalkeeper John Underwood was near flawless. He made 10 saves from a variety of angles and contended admirably with the unique conditions presented by the stiff wind. A beautiful save of a hard shot just below the bar in the 23rd minute was most noteworthy.  

The Mineola midfielders, who often open slowly and increase their intensity throughout the match, were on the mark from the initial whistle. The season has matured the midfield, and the team is reaping the benefits.

The Yellowjackets dominated the first 10 minutes of play. Excellent combination play in the midfield and several leading passes into the offensive zone kept the Vandals on their heels. 

Gustavo Sanchez generated the initial attack. He fed Jairo Mata, who played a beautiful pass in to Yimi Nunez. The Van keeper was forced to come far out of his box to interrupt the attack.  

No less than seven attacks down the wings, to either Omar Galaz or Jairo Mata, were generated in the first half, most of which came early in the game. Unfortunately, the wind spoiled many of those attacks as it carried the ball through the endline before Mineola strikers could chase it down. 

The home side turned the momentum midway through the half and mounted a series of attacks through the middle of the Yellowjacket defense. 

Van put a shot off the crossbar in the 38th minute and ended the half with four consecutive attacks, including two corners.

The second half began with both sides trading attacks. Galaz put a shot just over the crossbar in the 43rd minute, moments after Underwood was forced to make a diving save on a blistering Vandal shot.

The game had few stoppages, and one could sense that a goal or two were soon forthcoming. 

With Coach Shelby Turner imploring his whole squad to push up, the break came. A solid attack up the left side resulted in a Yellowjacket attacker being taken down in the penalty area.  In the 52nd minute, Nathan Rojas calmly slotted the penalty kick home to take the lead. 

Rojas’ smart, workmanlike performance throughout the match was a joy to watch. His leadership obviously has a significant impact on the team.

The Yellowjackets kept the pressure on. Three Mineola corners followed in the next several minutes. On the third corner, Rojas took it short and made his way up the endline. He then cut up field and sent a low centering pass across goal. The pass found Sanchez who dispatched the ball into the netting for the second score of the night. 

With a two goal advantage, the Yellowjackets came under increasingly desperate attack by the Vandals. Despite some tricky high bounces, the Jacket defense proved up to the challenge. The work ethic of Riley Weekly was especially notable.

When able, Mineola pressed ahead to alleviate the pressure. In one particularly ambitious foray, Mata went on an amazing run into the Vandal zone. Fighting off repeated challenges, he was relieved of the ball only after having threatened the Vandal goal. 

The closing sequence was crazy as Underwood had to fight off an exceedingly-high ball which came down just in front of goal. 

The Mineola’s side came home with a great team win. The improvement of the team is obvious through the course of district play. The side plays with heart and fluidity. 

After hosting Grand Saline on March 1, and traveling to Cumberland the next day, the Jackets will be at home against Chapel Hill on Friday, March 5. Game time will be 7:15 p.m.