Becerra helps Downey girls blank Gregori in soccer, stay unbeaten

Downey midfielder Jamilexcxth Becerra has a first name many can’t pronounce or spell correctly.

“We just call her Jamie,” goalie Alexandra Martinez said.

Her game can be just as tricky, leaving defenders tied in knots and goalies frozen in place.

Waving her foot over the ball like a magician, Becerra creates space in the middle of the field. She traveled through one of those lanes for a wide-open header in the 35th minute, lifting the Knights to a 4-0 victory over Gregori on Wednesday at Don Lanphear Stadium.

“I think she was the key to their offense,” Gregori coach Mike Catzalco said of Becerra, a fourth-year varsity player. “She was creating some space. She could dribble around people, and she was able to feed her teammates.

“Once that happened, we weren’t able to stop her. We tried to put different people on her, but she was just too much for us tonight.”

Becerra finished with two goals and set up another when she was tripped up outside the penalty box early in the second half.

Forward Brenly Williams and outside fullback Isabelle Mendez rounded out the scoring, capitalizing on free-kick situations.

Williams finished a penalty kick in the 21st minute, while Mendes buried a 20-yard set piece to make it 3-0.

After scoring just once in two games last week, culminating with a scoreless draw with Davis, Downey broke through against the reigning Modesto Metro Conference champion.

The Knights peppered Gregori’s goal with 16 shots, including nine on frame. Hannah Souza buzzed about the box and tugged at her headband when shots sailed on her, but the Nevada-bound forward didn’t go away empty-handed.

Souza had two assists.

“This was a huge victory, especially because these juniors have never beaten Gregori,” said Haley Ewert, Downey’s first-year coach. “This was a huge step up and great going forward.”

The win establishes the Knights as the front-runner in the MMC. Downey rocketed out to a 2-0 lead in the first half and bottled up the Jaguars’ young attack.

Downey (10-0-4, 5-0-1) is one of just two unbeaten teams left in the Stanislaus District. The other is Sierra (16-0-4), which will host Central Catholic in a pivotal Valley Oak League contest on Friday evening.

“It keeps them going. They’re motivated. They want to keep that,” Ewert said. “We haven’t had that at Downey for many years. They’re proud of that and want to keep it going.”

The Knights will host Beyer on Friday. Catzalco offers a word of warning: They’re even better in person, especially Becerra.

“I was really impressed with their physicality,” he said. “I had seen them play Turlock in the preseason, and I was impressed with their size and speed.

“They just overwhelmed us, especially in the midfield. We tried a formation to control the ball in first half; by the time we changed to a different formation, it was a little too late.”

The Jaguars dropped to 4-1-1 in conference play and 5-6-1 overall.

After losing 10 players to graduation, Catzalco started seven underclassmen on Wednesday evening, including sophomores Savannah Jimenez and Chelsey Rios.

“Coming into the season, we weren’t sure what we had. Tonight showed how much more we need to grow and work,” Catzalco said. “The kids are optimistic. They never bowed their heads. We’ll get back at it and try to get them next time.”

The Jaguars struggled to crack a Downey backline anchored by Holly Addis and Mendez. The Knights have 11 shutouts and haven’t allowed a goal in nearly a month.

“I don’t mess with the defense,” Ewert said with a chuckle. “Once I figure out what works, I don’t mess with it. They work well together. I’m proud of them and their hard work.”

She also doesn’t mess with Becerra, who created scoring opportunities up until the final whistle on Wednesday.

Becerra finished a cross from Souza for her first goal. The play started with a free kick played short to Souza along the sideline. She curled a cross to Becerra at the back post.

Downey’s ponytailed playmaker was unmarked.

Ewert was pleased with her team’s decision-making and execution on set pieces.

“They found a way to capitalize,” she said.

Becerra tacked on her second goal in the 65th minute, sneaking a 22-yard shot under the crossbar.

She dribbled across the face of the goal, beating two defenders as she went. With her momentum going away from the goal, Becerra twisted her hips and caught enough of the ball to lift it over the goalie.

“She knows how to control the ball, and she’s willing to take shots … she’s willing to take charge,” Ewert said. “She’s a senior and she’s supposed to take charge, and she’s willing to take on that responsibility.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 11:06 PM with the headline "Becerra helps Downey girls blank Gregori in soccer, stay unbeaten."