In a pair of local girls soccer matchups, Santa Barbara High took on Santa Ynez and Carpinteria faced off against Bishop Diego.
The Dons and Warriors each came out on top in their respective season openers.
Santa Barbara 3, Santa Ynez 1
The Dons opened up their season with a solid 3-1 victory over the Pirates.
Santa Ynez struck first with a free-kick goal in the 20th minute by Hailey Chirwin.
However, Santa Barbara took over the game from there thanks to some adjustments and playmaking by Carolina Esparza and Isabella Garofalo.
“We had a slow start to the game but as the game went on we started to create chances,” Dons coach Willie Simms said. “At halftime, we made some adjustments and it paid off.
“Carolina showed a lot of leadership tonight communicating and leading her backline. In our midfield, Isabella had a lot of impact making sure we were a threat going forward and linking up play with our forwards.”
Sienna Boyce scored two of the team’s three goals on the night, sending in corner kicks that were served up by Esparza.
The third goal of the night was all Evelyn Arias, who beat a pair of defenders on the dribble and found the back of the net past the outstretched hands of the goalkeeper.
Santa Barbara (1-0) will take on Lompoc on the road on Wednesday.
Carpinteria 2, Bishop Diego 0
The Warriors shut out the Cardinals 2-0 to pick up a season-opening victory.
The first half was a quiet one, as neither offense found much success and the game went into the locker room at a scoreless draw.
Carpinteria broke the seal in the 68th minute when Evelyn Lara weaved through defenders and finished off a back-post goal to take a 1-0 lead.
The Warrior offense felt the momentum, as Vivian Huskins scored just four minutes later with a free kick from 25 yards out to bring the advantage to 2-0.
The Carpinteria defense made up of defenders Lela Robert and Emma Miller along with goalkeeper Natalie Gonzalez stayed strong to the final whistle and secured the shutout.
“The result was great but perseverance was really the important takeaway from today’s game,” Warriors coach Freddy Martinez said. “The girls didn’t let frustration get the better of them; they just encouraged each other and kept battling for the result.”
The Warriors (1-0) will take on La Reina on Thursday at home.
