Have no fear, Turlock High soccer fans… the Carbajal cousins are here!

It was a family affair under the lights of Joe Debely Stadium on Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs were aided by cousins Fernando and Sebastian Carbajal to erase an early deficit against Jesuit (Sacramento) and win 2-1 in the opening round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs.

The No. 12 Marauders (4-6-8) opened the scoring in the first 15 minutes of play, and it gave No. 5 Turlock (13-6-3) a greater sense of urgency. Their increased aggression paid off when a whistle was blown on Jesuit and Fernando was tasked to handle a free kick. He promptly blasted it into the back of the net just before the intermission.

“I knew we could come back after the goal,” said Fernando, a junior. “They were a strong team coming in, but they just weren't strong enough to beat the Turlock Bulldogs.”

The game remained tied until the 58th minute, when Sebastian, a senior, received a high crosser and sent it past the goalkeeper with the side of his head.

“Literally just closed my eyes and, boom, headered it in,” he said with a shrug.

The cousins have played soccer with each other for as long as they can remember, and are hoping they can share more memories in blue, gold and white jerseys through next week. This year’s Central California Athletic League champions will travelled to Stockton on Friday to face No. 4 Lincoln (14-1-2)

Pitman 4, Merced 0, at Pitman

Across town at the same time, the No. 6 Pride had little to stress about in their Division II opener, handing No. 11 Merced a 4-0 loss.

In a rematch of their scoreless preseason draw on Dec. 17, Pitman (14-4-2) pressured the Bears (12-7-2) immediately, and through most of the match. Their high pace and aggressiveness paid off quickly, with senior midfielder Zach Looney using his speed to break away from defenders and score a goal just five minutes into the action. Five minutes later, their lead increased to 2-0 thanks to a goal from junior forward Giancarlo Nakamura.

The Pride had continued success in the second half, with senior midfielder Davian Lizarraga and senior fullback Francisco Villanueva finding the back of the net.

“Very dominant performance,” said Pitman head coach Manny Romero. “We knew what to expect and what to do to be successful. The whole team kept mental focus and never gave in no matter how many goals we had.

“We talked about having a champion mentality, and part of it is to give 100% the full 80 minutes. no matter the score out of respect for ourselves and the opponent.”

They took the trip to Sacramento on Friday for a date with No. 3 Grant Union (13-3-2) in the quarterfinals.

Denair bows out in D-6 semifinal

For the fourth year in a row, the Denair boys soccer program advanced to the Division VI semifinals after a thrilling overtime win against No. 3 Esparto on Tuesday night. But their quest for a third blue banner in four years fell short Thursday when they fell 1-0 to No. 2 Bradshaw Christian. They finished their season with an 11-8-4 overall record. 

The Coyotes led 2-1 at halftime against Esparto after goals by Goliath Padilla and Nico Zavala. 

Padilla’s first goal came after the ball hit off a Spartan defender about 15 minutes into the game. Esparto tied the game with a goal of its own before Zavala, a senior striker, made a dazzling play to put the Coyotes on top again. He started near the sideline, worked his way to the middle past multiple defenders and then placed his shot perfectly into the top left corner of the net away from the goalie. In the second half, Esparto tied the game 2-2 with 10 minutes left. 

Denair had one more chance to take the lead in regulation, but Padilla’s free kick was blocked by the Spartan goalie. In overtime, Goliath Padilla, a junior striker who is the younger brother of Jose Antonio, scored the winning goal on a breakaway about five minutes into overtime. He dribbled around and through two defenders and then beat the goalie with a strong shot.

“It was a great game,” said Jose Antonio Padilla. “The boys played hard and they deserved to win.”

Hilmar’s heartbreak

Over in the Division V bracket, No. 5 Hilmar suffered a heartbreaking finish against top-seeded Summerville in their semifinal match on Thursday night.

After playing to a scoreless draw through regulation, the Bears came out of the shootout with a 5-4 advantage, sending the Yellowjackets home empty-handed.

The Bears narrowly avoided being on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in the postseason thus far, as they entered the game with a 19-3 overall record, while the ‘Jackets were 10-6-6. 

Note: Updates on Friday night’s D-1 and D-2 matches will be in Wednesday’s Journal.