West Ranch boys’ soccer coach Mike Kane praised his seniors for stepping up to deliver a victory for the Wildcats on Thursday.
All four goals in the Wildcats’ 4-1 victory on the road at Castaic were scored by seniors. West Ranch (6-4-3, 3-2-2) scored three in the second half as the Wildcats seek to affirm a top-four spot in the Foothill League.
“Getting three points anytime in the Foothill League is good thing,” Kane said.
Senior Brandon Salazar got the scoring started for West Ranch with about three minutes to go in the first half after a corner kick bounced around in the penalty box before falling his way.

A couple minutes later, the Castaic Coyotes (0-9-1, 0-6-1) tied things just before the halftime whistle. Sophomore Fabian Cardenas converted from a throw-in that bounced off the head of teammate Alexis Silva before falling Cardenas’ way.
West Ranch immediately responded in the first minute of the second half. Senior Camden O’Neill served up a corner kick that senior Logan Sanchez was able to get a head to, something Kane said the Wildcats have been fortunate to do in many games this season.
“We’ve had a good year of the corner kicks and the set plays,” Kane said. “The boys kind of believe in themselves out there during that. But, you know, it’s tough. It’s always tough to get it. So, when you can, a corner kick gives you a scoring opportunity, so taking advantage of that is always good.”


West Ranch’s third goal came with just under 20 minutes to go in the second half when senior Michael Agalmazyan put in a cross from the left corner that O’Neill put away with a sliding effort.
Kane said that goal was emblematic of how he wants his team to build up to creating chances. Sophomore Tyler Langford, playing in just his second varsity game, was able to dribble himself out of trouble from his left back position before getting the ball forward for his teammates to continue the play.
“We try to coach building up, you know, building up to get us opportunities,” Kane said. “So to see it happen on the field is always nice.”


Senior LJ Kenney finished things off in the final minutes with a goal from just outside the penalty area.
Castaic head coach Daniel Ciallella said some of his players have had to learn how to play in new positions due to players missing for injuries or other circumstances.
“Some of them stepped in and are playing positions they didn’t play before, and we discovered that, you know, that they can do it,” Ciallella said. “That’s a good thing.”


The goal for the rest of the season, he said, is to get themselves out from the bottom of the league after years of finishing last.
“It’s a new school, you know, and it’s the fifth year that we’re here, and so we’re trying to build a program,” Ciallella said.
Castaic has Golden Valley on the road on Tuesday, while West Ranch is slated to travel to Canyon.


Here’s what else happened in Foothill League soccer action on Thursday:
Boys’ soccer
Hart 3, Valencia 1: The Hart Hawks (10-1, 7-0) are continuing to fly toward a potential eighth consecutive league title after beating Valencia (5-4-1, 2-4-1) on the road Thursday, 3-1.
Andrew Zamora, Bryan Barron and Marcos Garza scored for Hart.
Diego Jovel scored for Valencia on an assist from Nico Hovosapian.


Saugus 2, Canyon 2: The Saugus Centurions (7-2-3, 3-1-3) had their third tie of the league campaign Thursday, 2-2 at Canyon (3-8-2, 1-4-2).
Santiago Veizada and Lincoln Fritz got the goals for Saugus.
Benton Watkins and Robert Mora had unassisted goals for Canyon, which saw Kyle Mora record six saves.
Girls’ soccer
Hart 5, Valencia 0: Another game, another win for the Hart Hawks (9-5-1, 7-0), who kept up their perfect league start with a 5-0 win Thursday at home over Valencia (7-5, 3-4).
Gianna Costello, Riley Edemann, Kelly Wiecowski and Kylah Bennett scored for Hart.


Saugus 4, Canyon 0: The Saugus Centurions (11-2-2, 5-1-1) tightened their grip on second place in the league with a 4-0 win over Canyon (2-7-2, 0-6-1) at home on Thursday.
Tamia Neely scored twice while Gianna Sandoval and Celeste Ramirez scored once for Saugus.
West Ranch 0, Castaic 0: The Castaic Coyotes (7-4-2, 4-1-2) tied for the second straight game on Tuesday, as they and West Ranch (3-5-3, 2-4-1) finished scoreless at West Ranch High.