The Delhi boys' soccer team started its Southern Athletic League play right this week with a 3-2 victory at home against Le Grand.

The first half of Monday's matchup didn't look good for the Hawks, as Le Grand landed two goals early on.  Even though Ismael Udave netted a goal soon after to put Delhi on the scoreboard, it wasn't until the second half that the Hawks really came alive. The Delhi defense shut down the Bulldogs in the second and an offensive surge secured two back-to-back goals to secure the victory.

“I believe the kids were getting warmed up in the first and also sometimes, since our sweeper is a freshman, he gets nervous at times. But once they got relaxed then they can play their game; even though they didn’t play as good as they could have at the beginning,” Delhi head coach Armando Salazar said.

Sergio Espindola made crucial plays for the Hawks, including a through pass to Pedro Arellano for a shot from the right side of the field to the left goal post for the equalizer.

Less than 10 minutes after, Espindola’s corner kick deflected off the goalkeeper to Jonathan Bravo from just outside the box. Bravo took advantage of the position and shot it into the top post for the game sealer.

“We started playing a little bit better in the second, and I think the kids also saw that they were more skilled than Le Grand and that calmed them down a little bit,” Salazar said.

The Hawks are now 2-1-1 overall, after losing to Manteca in the opener while allowing five goals. Since then, they have allowed five goals in their last four contests.  

“I think we have to take one game at a time and it doesn’t matter if the other team we're playing is considered bad, we can’t overlook anyone and I hope they learn from today and start winning more consistently,” Salazar said.

Delhi will travel to Mariposa County today, with the game set to begin at 4 p.m.