Cate boys soccer clinched its third consecutive Tri-Valley League title with a 6-2 victory over rival Bishop Diego on Thursday in Santa Barbara.
The Rams were aggressive from the opening whistle and it paid off early as Dimash Anuarbeck scored a long-range goal in the eighth minute to take a 1-0 lead.
However, Bishop Diego swung right back and scored back-to-back goals in the opening half to go up 2-1 and hand Cate its first deficit at halftime all season.
That deficit quickly faded early in the second half as George Marin netted the equalizer with a penalty kick and scored just minutes later to put Cate back in front at 3-2.
Marin and the Rams rode that momentum throughout the rest of the second half, as Teke Meisel extended the lead to 4-2 with a goal and Marin scored twice more to complete a four-goal game and finish off the 6-2 win.
“We made some mistakes that put us behind, but we never panicked and made the necessary adjustments that helped us fight our way and secure the victory,” Cate head coach Jorge Reynoso said.
“We have some things we need to clean up and improve on as we look ahead to the postseason but before we do that we’ll need to come back and do it again tomorrow at Dunn.”
The Rams will wrap up league play on the road against Dunn on Friday.
Laguna Blanca 5, Santa Clara 0
The Owls captured their first Frontier League title in 11 years with a shutout win over Santa Clara on Thursday.
Laguna Blanca went a dominant 9-1 in league action, outscoring its rivals 48-12 along the way.
In Thursday’s win, Inak Phillips netted a pair of goals for the Owls, while Noah Mitev, Eddie Castrejon-Peralta and Josh Gomez-Lopes all scored once.
Laguna Blanca also honored its senior class of Baylor Wilson, Beckett Smythe, Finlay Sutherland, Enzo Vinoly, Noah Mitev, Niccolo D’Agruma, Alex McClintock, Isaac Duron-Angeles and Henry Risley.
Santa Barbara High 2, Ventura 1
The Dons battled to a big road victory over the Cougars on Thursday in Ventura.
Ventura nearly found the back of the net early in the first half, but Santa Barbara goalkeeper Tadeo Lopez came up with a point-blank save.
“That save was incredible. It kept the game at 0–0. A one-handed, point-blank save—just incredible,” Santa Barbara High head coach Ricardo Alcaraz said.
The Dons’ offense responded by taking a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute when Barbaro Cadena scored on a rocket of a shot from the top of the box.
Santa Barbara High stayed hot coming out of the break as Irving Garcia finished off a cross from Juan Culebro to double its lead to 2-0 in the 48th minute.
Ventura cut that lead in half later in the match, but the Dons held onto their one-goal lead until the final whistle sounded.
“I am really proud of the group. They came together, knowing what’s on the line, and played their hearts out,” Alcaraz said.
Santa Barbara High will host St. Bonaventure for a non-league match on Saturday.