With the regular season coming to a close, Gustine High School boys’ soccer team split their road matchups against Denair High School and Le Grand High School last week.

They are now 6-6 overall and 6-2 in Southern League play this season. Gustine is currently tied with Waterford High School for second place in the Southern League standings, trailing unbeaten Delhi High School.

After being shut out by Denair, Gustine bounced back in a 2-1 win against Le Grand on Friday.

In the 32nd minute, senior forward Carlos Lopez volleyed the ball in the center of Le Grand’s goalpost to give Gustine a 1-0 lead.

Le Grand later tied the game within the first six minutes of the second half. Sophomore midfielder Daniel Covarrubias struck the ball near Gustine’s goalpost which allowed senior striker Esteban Lua to score a header.

Gustine responded less than two minutes later after Lopez struck the ball through the goalpost from near midfield to give his team a 2-1 lead, which ultimately decided the outcome of Friday’s match.

The Reds suffered their third shutout of the season against Denair, 2-0, on Tuesday at Jack W. Lytton Stadium.

A central theme of the match was the physicality of both teams as players collided with another one without fouls or flags being called. This led to instances of players lying down on the field after receiving contact.

Denair struck first in the opening minute with center-defensive midfielder Goliath Padilla scoring a goal near Gustine’s penalty box, giving them a 1-0 lead.

The second half was more or less the same as the first with the physical defense amping up. The Reds, who were trying to get something going offensively, kept missing their attempts to score at goal.

As the ball lofted down the field, it drew the attention of Gustine’s junior goalkeeper Baylor Bloom who left his goalpost open. This allowed Denair’s sophomore Jose Salanda to score a goal, giving them a 2-0 lead and eventually the win.

With four games left in the season, Gustine will play their next two on the road before ending it off with a two-game homestead.

Gustine will visit Stone Ridge High School on Wednesday. Stone Ridge is currently winless this season at 0-13 overall. Earlier this month, Gustine had the most dominant win against Stone Ridge this season in a dominant 12-0 win. Kickoff begins at 5 p.m.

Navtej Hundal is a freelance journalist in Stanislaus County.