Dos Pueblos girls soccer put the finishing touches on its Santa Barbara City Championship with a 3-1 win over rival San Marcos on Thursday at Warkentin Stadium.
The playoff-bound Chargers (13-4-4, 8-3-2 Channel League) went 4-0 against Santa Barbara High and San Marcos this season, outscoring their crosstown foes 12-3 along the way.
With the loss, the Royals are now 6-9-2 overall and 5-6-2 against league opponents.
Dos Pueblos struck first early in the first half when Hazel Burgess found the back of the net off an assist from Brooklyn Hedricks to go up 1-0.
The Chargers doubled their lead to 2-0 just a few minutes later when Alina Seidel beat the San Marcos goalkeeper on a 1-on-1 opportunity.
The Royals cut the deficit in half just before halftime when Rio Chesluk scored.
Dos Pueblos’ Kacey Hurley rounded out the game’s scoring in the second half with a goal off a set piece and a pass from Seidel, bringing the game to its final score of 3-1.
Darlene Aguilar made several key saves for the Chargers in the second half to maintain the lead.
As for the Royals, Kate Selby, Zeina Matni, Sophie Rodriguez and Cami Sparks all had strong performances despite the loss.
“We had a really good performance and the girls responded well after conceding the early goal,” San Marcos head coach Miguel Vences said. “There were long stretches in the game where we kept generating chances and shots on goal, but their keeper made some great saves for them.
“Our midfield and forwards did a great job keeping us in the game with their work rate off the ball and with their ball movement when pushing towards their goal.”
Dos Pueblos will roll out the welcome mats for Oxnard at 5:15 p.m., while San Marcos will play host to Buena at 6:45 p.m.
Bishop Diego 2, Santa Clara 0
The Cardinals came away with a shutout win over Santa Clara on Thursday to clinch their first CIF-SS playoff appearance in two years.
“We’re very pleased with how the team is playing late in what has been a long season in terms of matches played,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said. “We’ve played a ton, and I think our team is prepared both physically and mentally for the postseason.”
Bryleigh Laurent and Haley Hubbs accounted for the two Cardinal goals, while Kaitlyn Garcia and Abbie Hubbs anchored the defensive effort in the clean sheet.
Bishop Diego (4-8-3, 3-1-3 Frontier League) will take on Del Sol for a non-league contest on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
Santa Barbara 0, Ventura 0
The Dons and Cougars battled to a scoreless draw on Thursday night at Peabody Stadium.
“It felt good to earn a tie and a shutout with a depleted roster against a physical Ventura team,” Santa Barbara High head coach Willie Sims said. “I thought we had some very good moments in transition and in the final third and were a bit unlucky not to get one in the net.
“The coaching staff is proud of the players for staying committed to our style of play while adding toughness and physicality.”
Despite the final score, it was a fast-paced matchup with plenty of opportunities for both sides. However, the two defenses stood tall and preserved the shutout through the final whistle.
“Freshman Cora Heckes was exceptional tonight. She added another attacking component to her play as she showed with confidence and composure moving forward,” Sims said. “Cora worked well with Madeleine Savellano and Kimberly Monroy in the midfield to control the tempo of the game.
“On the defensive end, Gwyneth Blumer was impressive with her strong presence in the center back position by winning one-on-one challenges and contesting balls in the air. Kudos again to our outstanding goalkeeper, Alice Sweeney, earning another clean sheet.”
The Dons (2-9-6, 1-8-4 Channel League) will host Rio Mesa on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. to celebrate Senior Night.