Centurions’ offense converts two goals on the road for win over Canyon, plus scores from around the Foothill League from both boys’ and girls’ soccer
In the second round of Foothill League action, the Saugus Centurions defeated the Cowboys at Canyon High School, 2-1, and secured back-to-back road victories to open the year.
“We knew Canyon was going to be a good, aggressive team. They always are, and attack with numbers. So, defensively, this was something that we are looking out for,” Saugus head coach Seth Groller said. “In terms of going in and taking this win and then starting off 2-0, I feel like we are starting to play the soccer that I know we can.”
In the first half, the Centurions (2-0, 2-0) and the Cowboys (1-4-1, 0-2) battled throughout the entirety with both teams narrowly missing goals.
For the Cowboys, junior Diego Ramirez kept the match scoreless as he saved multiple would-be goals in the first half on shots from Centurion forwards Daniel Nilson and Alec Turner.
In the final minute of the first half, Ramirez made a diving save of a shot attempt from Zach Rubin as the official blew the whistle for halftime.
In the second half, the tides began to change.
Ramirez went down with an injury in the opening minutes of the second half and was replaced by Angel Jimenez.
In the 23rd minute, Saugus finally had the opportunity to score off a penalty kick that the official awarded due to a handball, and Nilson capitalized.
Ten minutes later, Centurion Caden Kessinger scored the second goal off a cross from Turner and took a 2-0 lead.
“We made the adjustment of finding our wingers because we saw that’s where the openings were,” Groller said of the adjustments he and the team made in halftime. “And when we were finding our wingers in the first half, it was working well for us, but we just didn’t go back to them as often as we should have. So, in the second half we were doing that a little bit more.”
The Centurions defense allowed a late goal from Canyon’s Alan Henriquez in the eighth minute but secured the win in the end.
After the match, Groller spoke on the momentum the team picked up at the beginning of the season, saying back-to-back league victories are a great start as the team prepares to face Valencia and West Ranch next week.
“We know that it sometimes takes a while to get your stride but seeing that we’re already starting to click and connect and do everything this early this season is great to see,” he said. “So hopefully we’re able to keep this momentum going, and we got two tough games next week with West Ranch and Valencia and so we got to just hopefully keep this going.”
The Centurions play again on Tuesday on the road at Valencia High School with the match set to kick off at 5 p.m.
As for Canyon, the Cowboys host West Ranch on Tuesday as they are still seeking their first Foothill League win of the season.
After Thursday’s night games, here all the scores from around the Foothill League.
Boys’ soccer
Hart 2, Valencia 0: The Hart Hawks (2-0, 2-0) scored a second-half goal for a road win over the Valencia Vikings (0-2, 0-1). The Hawks have a 4-0 goal differential through two games and host Golden Valley on Thursday for their next Foothill League match.
As for Valencia, the Vikings have a negative goal differential of 0-5 through two games and return home to host Saugus on Tuesday.
West Ranch 2, Castaic 1: The Wildcats (3-1, 2-0) are hot to start the season as they open league season with back-to-back wins. Wildcats McColm Cephas and Brady Asbra scored in the win over the Coyotes (0-4-1, 0-2).
The Coyotes look to bounce back at home on Thursday against Valencia as the Wildcats hit the road to Canyon High School to match up with the Cowboys.
Girls’ soccer
Saugus 4, Canyon 0: The Centurions (2-0, 2-0) won their home match over Canyon with Makea Leonard scoring two goals in the win. Ava Marcellin and Carmen Flores also scored in the win and shutout Canyon.
The Centurions host Valencia on Tuesday while Canyon takes on the Wildcats at West Ranch High School.
Hart 1, Valencia 0: The Hawks (2-0, 2-0) took a narrow 1-0 win at home over the Vikings (0-2, 0-1).
The Hawks hit the road to Golden Valley and face the Grizzlies on Thursday as the Vikings go to Saugus High School to match up with the Centurions on Tuesday.
Castaic 1, West Ranch 0: The Coyotes (1-1, 1-1) secured a road win over the Wildcats (2-1, 1-1) with Castaic’s Morgan Griffy scoring the lone goal.
The Wildcats host Canyon on Tuesday while the Coyotes host Golden Valley at Castaic High School Tuesday with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. for both games.
Photo gallery from the Saugus boys’ soccer team win over Canyon:
