Playoffs and the Western Conference title were well in hand, but that didn’t deter the Blue Heat from bringing the intensity in Sunday’s home win over Los Angeles Soccer Club.
Santa Clarita FC won the United Women’s Soccer match, 3-1, in its final home game of the season at College of the Canyons.
The semipro Blue Heat (7-0) dominated possession, with attack after attack in both halves.
In a game with numerous collegiate players and national teamers, 13-year-old Mckenna Whitham struck first for the Blue Heat. After SCFC midfielder Tatum Wynalda’s shot was saved, the Blue Heat recovered and Whitham fired in the opening goal in the fifth minute off the assist from Amanda Perez.
“We like to play very good football,” Whitham said. “We like to play outside, we like to play inside and we like to be very unpredictable. I feel like today was tough. We had to push through but in the end, we won. I’m just so proud of my team.”
The same relentless attack led to dozens more opportunities, as it did in the Blue Heat’s previous 6-0 win over LASC (3-3). Santa Clarita forward Liz Worden also added a goal but was just inches away from punching in several more. Worden, a Long Beach State forward, drilled a free kick in the 15th minute from just outside the box. The forward made numerous quality shots in the second half but was turned away by some solid saves and the crossbar.
LASC got into a little better rhythm in the second half but still couldn’t push much past the Blue Heat midfield. SCFC coach Leonardo Neveleff praised his center midfielders Chloe Castaneda and Wynalda.
“Our center-mids are great to watch,” Neveleff said. “They’re hard workers. They’re not afraid of going on the ground and risking themselves. When you have players like that, it just makes everything easier for everybody. They work hard, they do the dirty job and they play fancy. They’re very complete players.”
The Blue Heat were looking for a comfort goal midway through the second half. The team fired in several shots on target but just couldn’t slip one past LASC keeper Aubrey McKessy. SCFC finally put one past the keeper late in the game when Cameron Vallardes put the game away.
Vallardes was just the sparkplug off the bench that the team needed. Wynalda drove down the field, drawing multiple defenders, before laying the ball off to Vallardes, in full stride, who buried the goal.
LASC forward Chayse Ying found a small window to score and took it in stoppage time. Ying chipped one over Blue Heat keeper Morgan Farham to get one on the board for LASC. Ying is one of two Western Conference players to score on the Blue Heat this summer.
SCFC are aiming for another run at a national championship. The team was turned away last season in heartbreak after dropping the title game in PKs.
While playoffs are a lock, the Blue Heat have one more regular season game before the hunt for its third national title. SCFC has never finished the regular season with a perfect record and will aim to do so Saturday in Arizona.
“We already won the conference so we have one more game in Arizona and our goal is to go undefeated because that’s never happened here before,” Neveleff said.
The coach believes if his players continue to perform on par with how they played Sunday, they’ll be in great shape to contend for a UWS title.
“I expect to see the same thing,” Neveleff said. “We’re hungry for glory and they want to excel themselves. We’ll be fine if we can keep playing at this level and with this intensity.”
SCFC heads to Mesa for round two with FC Arizona, a team the Blue Heat previously beat 6-0, on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Westwood High School.
“I’m looking for us to stay connected and keep good relationships on the field and off the field,” Whitham said. “But just to enjoy it as well. Yes, it’s tough. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work but we have to enjoy it and love it.”
