After back-to-back Foothill League wins over Golden Valley and Castaic, the Wildcats secured the 3-0 road victory over the Canyon Cowboys as the team’s season-high winning streak extends to three games.
“The score is not going to indicate how close that game was,” West Ranch head coach Eric White said. “Canyon came out for senior night with a lot of energy and intensity. And we talked about it and if we don’t match it, it’s going to be a rough game.”
In the first half, the teams dueled it out with neither able to convert on a goal.
The Wildcats (7-5-2, 5-3-1) dominated possession but were unable to get the ball into the back of the net as the Cowboys’ (4-11-1, 1-8) backline prevented any long passes from finding attackers.
White added after the match that, in the first half, his team was “out of sync,” and that by the time the second half rolled around, the Wildcats settled down to finally produce goal-scoring opportunities.
“In the second half, I thought we ramped it up, found our rhythm a little bit, and then the last 20 minutes, I think you got to see a little bit of what we can do when we start to kind of match energy with our technique and stuff,” he said.
In the 18th minute of the second half, the Wildcats converted a goal following a header by Wildcats defender Savannah Patton off a corner.
White believed that once that first goal came, the rest would soon follow thereafter.
“I think that was the epitome of what we were looking for,” he said in response to the first goal. “I think we had eight or nine offsides in the half, and this game is going to be won by energy and intensity. And I thought, Savannah’s goal showed the intensity we needed.”
Just minutes later, the Wildcats’ offense created pressure on the Cowboys’ backline again. And in the 12th minute, the Wildcats’ Vanessa Bonner scored the second goal of the night off a cross-kick assist.
Bonner added another goal in the eighth minute to record the brace as the Wildcats finished off the Cowboys for the 3-0 win.
With the victory, White added that a three-game winning streak can provide a lot of momentum for West Ranch.
But as the girls’ soccer season nears its end, White wants his team to finish the year strong and approach every match coming up as a playoff-like game with three games remaining.
“It’s all a numbers game. You know, wins need to be wins, ties can’t become losses. And so, I think getting the three points, regardless of who it is against, is huge for us,” he said. “Hopefully we get a shot at playoffs. And I think so far, we’re doing that. I mean, some ups and downs, but tonight was another good opportunity to battle through some adversity a little bit of not playing energy-wise, so great to start, but then finding it the second half.”
The Wildcats play again on Tuesday against the Saugus Centurions at home.
The loss drops Canyon to sixth in the Foothill League standings. The Cowboys will look to bounce back on the road against Golden Valley Tuesday.
Both games kick off at 5 p.m.
After Thursday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Boys’ soccer
West Ranch 1, Canyon 1: The match between the Wildcats (6-5-3, 4-3-2) and the Cowboys (2-12-4, 0-6-3) resulted in a draw for both teams at Canyon High School.
Isaac Bertran scored the lone goal for Canyon as the Cowboys look to get the win next Thursday against the Golden Valley Grizzlies.
As for West Ranch, the Wildcats play against the Centurions at Saugus High School Tuesday with kick-off slated for 5 p.m.
Valencia 3, Saugus 1: The Valencia Vikings (8-4-2, 6-2) completed the win over the Centurions (10-4-1, 8-1) at Saugus High School.
With the loss, the Centurions are no longer undefeated in Foothill League play but remain in first place.
The Centurions will look to bounce back on Tuesday against the West Ranch Wildcats while the Vikings play against the Castaic Coyotes.
Both games kick off at 5 p.m.
Golden Valley 1, Castaic 0: The Grizzlies (7-5-1, 4-3-1) completed the win over the Coyotes (0-11-2, 0-8-1) with the lone goal in the second half.
The Coyotes will try to bounce back Tuesday at Valencia against the Vikings while the Grizzlies host the Hawks as each game begins at 5 p.m.
Girls’ soccer
Saugus 3, Valencia 2: The Lady Centurions (11-4-2, 8-1) defeated the Vikings (3-6-3, 3-3-2) with the game-winning goal coming in the second half.
Makea Leonard bagged two goals in the win as the Centurions hold first place in the Foothill League standings. Leonard and the Centurions play again Tuesday at West Ranch against the Wildcats.
The Vikings hit the road to Castaic for a matchup against the Coyotes.
Both games are scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m.
Castaic 6, Golden Valley 0: The Coyotes (5-6, 4-5) scored six goals en route to the team’s fourth Foothill League win this season, beating the Grizzlies (1-17-2, 0-8).
The Coyotes host the Vikings on Tuesday while the Grizzlies look to bounce back at Hart High School against the Hawks with each game scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m.
Photos below from West Ranch girls’ soccer win over Canyon:
