Santa Barbara High girls soccer fell by a score of 1-0 in a Channel League matchup with Ventura High on Thursday night in Ventura.
“Ventura plays physical and direct soccer, which made it difficult for us to build and maintain possession,” Dons head coach Willie Sims said.
“Ventura came in with a little bit more energy than us, so the lesson for the team tonight was to always be ready for the physical part of the game, go after every loose ball, and learn to embrace the individual 1-on-1 challenges.”
The match was back and forth throughout the opening half, and the Cougars finally broke through with a goal in the final minute of the half to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
The Dons had several chances in the second half but couldn’t capitalize, resulting in the Ventura victory.
“Player of the Match goes to our goalkeeper Alice Sweeney. She had another amazing outing in the goal making save after save,” Sims said. “I would also like to acknowledge Carolyn Gifford and Madeleine Savellano for displaying their leadership with their effort, determination & resilience on the field.”
Santa Barbara High (1-6-3, 0-5-1 Channel League) will be on the road against Rio Mesa on Monday.
Coast Union 3, Bishop Diego 0
The Cardinals fell in a Frontier League matchup with Coast Union on Thursday at La Playa Stadium.
“Our team had an okay week of practice while we got back into our routine and worked around our field situation,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said. “After all the rain, we’ve been indoors and on small fields. While playing at SBCC was a special treat, a field that size after how we’ve been able to prepare did not serve us well.
The sister duo of Haley and Abbie Hubbs turned in strong performances on both ends of the field for the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn Garcia played strong defense and Amaya Martinez contributed in the midfield.
“We did manage to improve our shots on goal, which has been a goal for the team all season,” Bennett said. “We outpossessed and outshot Coast Union tonight, so if that’s the strongest team in our league, we’re happy with the progress so far.
“We’ll clean up a few other areas of our team play and look forward to getting back in the win column next week.”
Bishop Diego (1-6, 1-1 Frontier) will host Santa Clara on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Boys Basketball
Santa Barbara High boys basketball came up just short in a 2-1 loss to Ventura High on Thursday at Peabody Stadium.
The Dons struck first when Oziel Hernandez found Irving Garcia, who beat the goalkeeper with a strong shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute.
Ventura quickly responded with a goal of its own just three minutes later to tie the game at 1-1 at halftime.
The two teams went back-and-forth in the second half in search of the go-ahead goal, and the Cougars finally broke through in the 76th minute with what proved to be the game-winner.
Santa Barbara High (5-6-1, 2-4 Channel League) will host Rio Mesa on Monday.