Although a draw isn’t exactly a win for Hart head coach Brett Croft, it certainly feels like one as the Lady Hawks are one step closer to achieving their fifth consecutive Foothill League title after a 0-0 result against Saugus Thursday night.
“It was a big game,” he said. “[Saugus] has a lot of seniors, and it was a big day for them on senior night. And for us, we just wanted to come out and play aggressive knowing that they needed to win.”
The Lady Centurions (12-4-3, 9-1-1) entered the game in second place in the league standings and are coming off a four-game winning streak.
Earlier in the season, the Lady Hawks took home the 2-0 win over Saugus, leaving the former in first place and an advantage in the standings with the tiebreaker.
The one player the Centurions have relied on all season and who was called upon multiple times in the match against Hart Thursday was Saugus senior Makea Leonard, who the Centurions’ midfield passed tomultiple times to break the stalemate.
Leonard, who’s verbally committed to the University of Oregon and leads the Foothill League in goals scored, did all she could to help her Centurions as she kept the pressure up with multiple shots on goal in the game.
But Hart’s (10-7-2, 9-1-1) defense prevented any opportunity from being capitalized, which left Croft to give them praise as they preserved the clean sheet.
“I think at the end of the day, the offensive side of soccer is pretty fun to watch, but the defensive side of games is what wins things,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work, it’s a lot of communication, and it’s a lot of having each other’s back, and they did that tonight.”
As for Saugus, the near misses cost the Lady Centurions the opportunity to win on senior night at home as Leonard missed a narrow would-be goal in the final minute of the match.
With the draw, the Lady Centurions remain in second place but remain in contention of the league crown should the Lady Hawks lose their final two league games.
For Croft, although the league race isn’t officially wrapped up, the goal remains the same for the Lady Hawks, and that’s to finish the year strong as they look to enter the playoffs with the most momentumpossible.
“We definitely have to finish the year out strong,” he said. “Job’s not done. It’s tough to come back after emotional wins like that, but we just need to reset and regroup. And we’ll be ready to go and finish this thing strong.”
The Lady Hawks play again at home Monday against the visiting Castaic Coyotes while the Lady Centurions matchup against the Grizzlies at Golden Valley.
Kick-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. for both games.
After Thursday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Boys’ soccer
Hart 2, Saugus 1: The Hawks (6-4-4, 4-3-3) defeated the Centurions (10-5-2, 8-2-1) at home for the upset.
With the loss, the Centurions fall to second place in the league standings and will look to bounce back Monday at 5 p.m. against the Golden Valley Grizzlies
As for the Hawks, the win keeps the team in playoff contention in fourth place and plays again on the road Monday against the Castaic Coyotes at 5 p.m.
Valencia 2, West Ranch 1: The Vikings (10-4-2, 8-2) jumped to first place in the league standings after a senior night win over the Wildcats (6-6-4, 4-4-3).
Valencia junior Omid Gholamali played for 60 minutes and secured a goal while Henry Sarkisyan converted the penalty kick en route to the victory.
The Vikings play again on the road against the Canyon Cowboys Monday while the Wildcats look to bounce back for their final home game of the season Wednesday against the Hawks at Hart High School.
Both games kick off at 5p.m.
Canyon 2, Golden Valley 1: The Canyon Cowboys (3-12-4, 1-6-3) secured the home win over the Golden Valley Grizzlies (8-6-1, 5-4-1).
The Cowboys’ Marcus Sayan bagged the winning goal at the 80th minute for the narrow victory over Golden Valley.
The Cowboys play again at home Monday against the Valencia Vikings while the Grizzlies hit the road to Saugus against the Centurions.
Both games kick off at 5 p.m.
Girls’ soccer
West Ranch 1, Valencia 1: The match between the Wildcats (7-6-3, 5-4-2) and Vikings (4-6-4, 4-3-3) finished as a 1-1 draw.
The Wildcats play their final home game of the season on the road Wednesday against the Lady Hawks at Hart High School with kick-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
As for Valencia, the Lady Vikings host Canyon on Monday for their senior night with kick-off set to begin at 5 p.m.
Canyon 3, Golden Valley 1: The Canyon Cowboys (5-11-1, 2-8) secured the road win over the Golden Valley Grizzlies (1-20-2, 0-10)
The Cowboys snapped a five-game losing streak with the victory and will look to continue their winning ways on the road Monday against the Lady Vikings at Valencia Monday.
As for the Grizzlies, they’ll play again at home against the visiting Saugus Centurions.
Both games are set to kick off at 5 p.m.
Photos below from the Hawks and Centurion’s draw Thursday night:
