Anilrgowda

SAN YSIDRO – Someone must have given Bonita Vista High girls soccer coach Ron Pietila an “EASY” button before the start of Mesa League play. The Barons have won their first two games by a combined 12-2, including yesterday's 5-1 dismantling of San Ysidro. Yet it's been almost too easy. Despite dominating, Bonita Vista struggled as much as a team that won by four goals could. Open shots sailed wide and beautiful crosses landed where players should have been but weren't as the Barons (8-4-3, 2-0) trailed early in the match.
Pietila was disappointed with his team's effort.
“You have to play each game and learn something from each game, and I'm not sure we learned much today,” Pietila said. “I thought San Ysidro played harder than we did, so this was not a good game for us.”
Challenging his team to improve is nothing new for Pietila, who's compiled more than 400 career wins along with 10 trips to the San Diego Section finals. After a stop at SD Southwest, a long run at Bonita Vista and three years at Otay Ranch, Pietila is back with the Barons this season.
San Ysidro (9-6-1, 0-2) moved the ball over the center line just five times in the first half, managing only two shots. But one of those attempts came after a Bonita Vista defender failed to clear the ball, allowing Yanira Michel an open shot that gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
Playing from behind seemed to do the trick for Bonita Vista, which responded with five unanswered goals.
Those scores weren't hard to come by, either. One was an own goal on a corner kick as the ball bounced into the net off a San Ysidro defender. Twice, Bonita Vista scored two goals in under two minutes, once at the close of the first half and once in the middle of the second half.
The ease with which they controlled the game may have led to the Barons' lack of enthusiasm.
“When it's this easy, it makes us slow down,” said Bonita Vista forward Sarah Grable, one of five Barons to score. “I think when we play the top teams, we'll be more focused.”
Bonita Vista will have a chance to test Grable's theory when the team hosts Eastlake at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Pietila said the Titans, along with Otay Ranch, are the Barons' main competition for a league championship.
San Ysidro coach Bill Medina expects Pietila's squad to contend for a title.
“He has a lot of talent,” Medina said. “They're up there with the best teams in the section.”