Able to properly recruit his players this season after being hired late in the process last year, Gavilan men's soccer coach Albert Marques is already reaping the benefits. After compiling just two wins and two ties during their entire 2007 campaign, the Rams have eclipsed last season's win total.

And they're only four games in.

Gavilan took shot after shot on net and pocketed a pair of goals within seconds of each other in the first half en route to a 3-1 victory over Monterey Peninsula College Thursday in Gilroy.

The Rams improve to 3-1 on the year, and continue to impress.

"I'm thrilled," Marques said. "The first half I thought we played really well - controlled the game, lots of shots."

Gavilan took approximately 19 shots on net, 12 of which came in the first half. MPC, on the other hand, was held to just three shots on net in the first half, and didn't take a shot in the second half until 18 minutes had elapsed.

"It's a different atmosphere," said Gavilan sophomore Carlos Zepeda, a graduate of Anzar High, when comparing to last year's team. "There's a lot of guys that are coming from Gilroy High and Sobrato, so they have a winning attitude and they know how to win."

"The guys are playing harder," said Gavilan sophomore Jaime Munoz, a GHS grad. "They're young, but they have winning down."

Zepeda and Munoz represent two of the three sophomores on the squad along with Jose Mendoza, a graduate of Sobrato. Otherwise, the Rams dress 17 freshman.

But despite their youth, sights are being set high.

"I think we have a chance of making it to the playoffs," Mendoza said.

That could be true if Gavilan continues to play like they did on Thursday. Although MPC began to find a foothold late in the game, and even scored on a direct kick just outside the 18 in the 86th minute, the Rams controlled the pitch throughout the contest and held a 3-0 lead at one point.

Mendoza's cross from the right corner in the 33rd minute found the right leg of Jairo Rodriguez for a one-time goal and a 1-0 lead. One minute later, Hector Salgado's shot from the right side ricocheted off the near post and bounced to Victor Iracheta on the left who scored on a wide-open goal.

In the second half, Gavilan put the game out of reach when Jose Hernandez scored on a penalty kick in the 83rd minute.

"In the second half, I thought we played okay but not as well as I would have liked to," said Marques, who's still seeking a full, 90-minute performance from his team. "Fortunately, we had a 3-0 lead, but part of it was that we were just tired."

The team's defense is perhaps its strength - they've only allowed two goals in four games this season - but the Rams will look to improve upon their offensive finishing in upcoming games as well.

One of those goals allowed came on Tuesday in a 1-0 loss at home to Yuba, where the Rams played a strong first half but a flat second, Marques said.

"It was our mistake that cost us (that goal) for us, which is the reason why it's such a hard loss," he said. "Hopefully, we'll learn from it and it won't happen again."

The Rams will return today, Friday, for a 3 p.m. game at home to the College of Marin.