Hart High girls soccer handed Valencia its first loss of Foothill League play, 3-2, thanks to two penalty kicks, under the lights at Valencia on Tuesday night.
The win is Hart’s second in a row and comes after beginning the season with three consecutive ties.
“We definitely got off to a start we didn’t want to,” said Hart’s Tori Waldeck. “We wanted to be undefeated, 10-0, but it’s definitely nice to win against our rival at their home. The last game of the season we’re going to go out and play them again and hopefully beat them again.”
MORE SOCCER: Valencia boys win battle for first place against Hart
It began like an old-fashioned game of “Pong.”
The ball bounced from one side of the field to the other with a solid line waiting to deflect it back into opposing territory.
The pattern was disrupted when Hart’s Isabela Penaranda capitalized on the team’s first penalty kick opportunity and gave the Indians (14-2-4 overall, 1-0-3 in Foothill) a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
In the 31st minute, Valencia’s Lauren Madero booted the ball to the dead center of the net to keep the Vikings (10-6-2, 3-1-1) in the game.
Less than a minute later, Waldeck scored off a second-chance opportunity when the ball bounced off of Vikes keeper Isabel Salvadori.
The pass that was the catalyst for the goal came from the outside – the area that Hart tried to confine offensive play to throughout the game.
“We know their center back, Kayla Kukaua, she’s a good header and one of our big things is playing it over the top to our forwards,” Waldeck said. “We were trying to keep it away from her and keep it out wide. That’s where we beat them.”
In the 53rd minute, Penaranda scored on Hart’s second penalty kick of the game to put the Indians up 3-1, but Valencia’s Alexa Trujillo battled through traffic in front of the net for a goal in the 73rd minute.
“I liked the fight, the fact that we were down 3-1 and other teams would fold, but they kept bringing it,” said Valencia coach Kevin Goralsky.
“And the bottom line is when we play Hart, who has won league for so many years in a row, and you give them so many PK’s you’re not going to win.”
Canyon 2, Saugus 1
Madison Jackson and Claudia McKail each had a goal for the Cowboys (9-6-2, 2-2-1), while Kelly Yanover scored for the Centurions (5-10-3, 1-2-2).
West Ranch 4, Golden Valley 0
The Wildcats’ Julia Watler had two goals and Sydney Marbach and Skylar Lagana each added one of their own in the win. West Ranch is 8-3-5 overall and 2-0-3 in league. Golden Valley is 5-9-2 and 0-4.
