Golden Valley’s defense pulls through late; plus, soccer scores from around the Foothill League
The Canyon Country rivalry between Golden Valley and Canyon High School has always been an intense and fierce matchup between both teams regardless of sport.
Golden Valley head coach Stephen Evison considers the best version of that rivalry to be played in soccer as his Grizzlies defeated the Cowboys, 2-1 at home.
“The rivalry’s real. We’re so close to each other that although West Ranch is also our rival, it feels like it should really be Canyon,” he said. “I actually feel as if we should have lost the game. Letting our emotions get out of hand, letting the game get away from us when clearly in the first half, we were the way better team and going into the second half, it’s just a lack of focus.”
And it was a tale of two halves for Evison.
In the first half, Golden Valley’s (4-2-1, 2-1-1) offense scored two goals that came from a total team effort starting in the midfield.
In the 30th minute, the Grizzlies’ Jose Payeras assisted Sebastian Garcia for the first goal.
And in the 12th minute, the second goal came off a volley shot from Ethan Ramirez as Golden Valley looked to run away with it.
But in the second half, the Cowboys’ (1-8-1, 0-4) energy didn’t fade and dominated possession while attempting multiple shots on goal.
“I loved the way we attacked in the first half. I really did, but in the second half, it was almost nonexistent. It’s kind of, again, a lack of focus, lack of discipline. I mean, it’s just discipline,” Evison said.
The Cowboys finally broke through when the offense managed to sneak a goal past Golden Valley goalkeeper Zander MacDonald in the fourth minute of the second half that set off a sequence of events.
Both teams got into a scuffle when a Cowboys player attempted to grab the ball from the net and, after the huddle broke off, the referee handed out a red card to the Grizzlies’ Isaac Negrete, which left Golden Valley with nine men.
The Grizzlies were able to avoid any late score from Canyon’s offense and pulled through for the win despite the Cowboys threatening to score.
After the match, Evision credited his team for them keeping the lead despite being a man down and the back-and-forth between both schools.
“We got the focus back when it really mattered,” he said. “But we need to have that consistently throughout the entire game. And if we don’t, we’re going to continue to have these kinds of results, and it’s very frustrating.”
With the win, Golden Valley ends Foothill League play in the calendar year with a win, a feat that doesn’t feel good in the moment considering the narrow win and red card but the coach knows will be huge later in the season.
“The first four games are so critical because then you never know what’s going to happen in January. So, you need a good foundation,” he said. “Hopefully we can peak in January, when you really want to peak. But it’s huge to win this game, it’s a nice boost. I’ll feel a lot better about it tomorrow.”
The Grizzlies pick up Foothill League action on Jan. 8 at home against Saugus while the Cowboys are on the road against Valencia.
After Tuesday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League.
Boys’ soccer
Valencia 2, West Ranch 0: The Vikings (2-3, 2-2) pulled off the road win over the West Ranch Wildcats (4-3, 3-2).
The Vikings scored two goals and split the four first four league games 2-2 while the Wildcats suffered back-to-back losses.
Both teams pick up league action again in January as the Vikings host Canyon on Jan. 8 while the Wildcats match up with Hart on Jan. 13.
Saugus 2, Hart 0: The Centurions (5-0, 5-0) look like the team to beat after defeating last season’s Foothill League champions, the Hart Hawks (3-1-1, 2-1), at home.
The Hawks will look to bounce back in the second half of Foothill League play in January against West Ranch on Jan. 13 while the Centurions match up with Golden Valley on Jan. 8.
Girls’ soccer
Canyon 3, Golden Valley 0: The Cowboys (2-4, 1-3) earned their first league win of the year against the Golden Valley Grizzlies (1-8-1, 0-4) at home.
The Grizzlies play again on Jan. 8 on the road against Saugus while the Cowboys host Valencia.
Valencia 0, West Ranch 0: The match between the Vikings (1-3-1, 1-2-1) and Wildcats (3-2-1, 2-2-1) ended in a draw at Valencia High School.
The Vikings will look to win when they pick up league action on the road against Canyon on Jan. 8 while the Wildcats host Hart on Jan. 13.
Hart 2, Saugus 0: The Hawks (4-3, 4-0) defeated the Centurions (5-1-1, 4-1) at home and remained perfect in league competition through the first four games.
The Hawks pick up league action on Jan. 8 against Castaic while the Centurions host Golden Valley.
Photos below from Golden Valley boys’ soccer win over Canyon:
