Boys soccer: Gilbert's 3 quick goals key 4-0 win over Basha
January 9, 2015 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365
A month ago in the season's infant stage, Basha's boys soccer team dominated Gilbert to the tune of 3-1. Two teams with different styles and philosophies met again Friday night and domination belonged this time to Gilbert.
Gilbert peppered Basha's goal three times in the first 13 minutes and breezed to a 4-0 win in a Division I match at Gilbert High. Basha, which entered the day No. 8 in the power rankings, lost for the first time in a power-ranking match. The Bears are 5-3-1 overall and 4-1-1 in power-ranking matches. Gilbert improved to 9-3-2 overall and 6-1 in power ranking matches. It began the day at No. 11 in what figures to be a very competitive battle come the end of January among the whoever the top 16 seeds turn out to be.
"They rely on set pieces, but they're very good at what they do," Basha coach Scott De La Fe said. "They can score a lot of goals.... This was much different than the first time we played. We could have moved up possibly in the top five if we'd won, so this is a tough loss."
Gilbert has always employed an aggressive offensive approach with coach Jeff Perry at the helm. The Tigers came out humming netting three of their first seven shots -- two on rebounds. Senior Nabil Attlassy tallied first in the seventh minute adn two minutes later junior Luke Boudreau hammered home a rebound off the chest of Basha keeper Easton Barbour to make it 2-0. Attlassy struck again in the 13th minute, knocking one home on the second assist of the night from Zach Hellmann. Hellman added a third assist in the 72nd minute feeding sohomore Danny Baca from about 15 yards out to finish the scoring.
"We haven't been real clean in front of the goal this season," Perry said. "Early on we were off frame with a lot of shots. Now we're getting more on frame. We're doing a better job inside the 18. A better job finishing runs and better in the finishing third."
Gilbert started seven seniors on Friday night and played without senior captain Erick Trevizo. The Tigers have gradually improved with the number of seniors starting not indicative of a true veteran group.
"We aren't young, but were inexperienced at the start of the year," Perry said. "We're starting to figure it out. We're getting better collectively."
Gilbert didn't advance past pool play of the Coyote Classic a month ago at Campo Verde. Since then the Tigers are 5-2-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Arizona Showcase a week ago. It's losses are to Basha, Corona del Sol and Perry High.