Laguna Blanca boys soccer opened up Frontier League action with a dominant 9-1 victory over Villanova Prep on Thursday in Santa Barbara.
Baylor Wilson paced the Owls (3-0) with a whopping four goals to continue his early-season offensive dominance. He has now scored 11 goals in three games.
Laguna Blanca got on the board early as Gus Graham drilled a shot from outside the 18-yard box into the back of the net in the eighth minute for the 1-0 lead.
Just 10 minutes later, Isaac Duron slotted a pass into Wilson, who then beat the goalkeeper to double the lead to 2-0.
Laguna Blanca stayed aggressive throughout the first half, expanding the lead as Duron connected with Wilson once again before the break to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.
The duo struck in the second half, but this time Wilson fed Duron for the goal and the 4-0 advantage. Wilson stayed hot as the Owls continued to dominate, securing the hat trick and the 6-0 lead with his next score.
Wilson found the back of the net once again before the final whistle blew, as did teammates Luke Rice and Beckett Smythe to bring the game to its final score of 9-1.
Newbury Park 3, San Marcos 2
The Royals dropped a non-league matchup with Newbury Park on Thursday at Warkentin Stadium.
Ricky Olivo scored both of the San Marcos goals in the opening half, finishing off a pair of strong assists by Luis Campos.
However, Newbury Park answered with two goals of its own in the first half and sealed the win with a second-half score.
“Newbury Park showed a lot of desire in their effort to win the ball,” San Marcos head coach Paul McLean said. “We were not as focused for a few moments in the back that cost us.
“Luis and Ricky were excellent up top together. We learned some good things to apply in future games.”
The Royals (2-2) will host rival Santa Barbara High on Tuesday for the Channel League opener.
Pacifica 3, Cate 1
The Rams began their season with a non-league loss to the Tritons on Thursday at Meldman Field in Carpinteria.
After strong efforts from both sides to break through first, Pacifica kicked off the scoring with a first-half goal to go up 1-0.
Cate immediately answered back, pushing the pace offensively and evening the score when a free-kick cross from Charlie Dorion found George Marin, who rose up out of the crowd and headered the ball into the back of the net. The 1-1 score held into the halftime locker room.
The Tritons took control of the game in the second half, holding the Rams scoreless while tacking on two more goals to come away with the 3-1 win.
“Coming off the fall break and playing our first match is always challenging but I am extremely confident that we will bounce back next week when we start league play,” Cate head coach Jorge Reynoso said.
“We will slowly start to get players back from other commitments and injuries and that will help us with our depth and to become a more versatile team.”
The Rams will be on the road against Foothill Tech next Thursday at 7 p.m. at Ventura College.
Girls Soccer
Dos Pueblos girls soccer blanked Santa Ynez for a 1-0 non-league victory on Thursday in Santa Ynez.
Brooklyn Hedricks scored the lone goal of the game, while Dylan Christopher, Jenny Polunets and Alma Basave provided offensive pressure all night.
Defensively, the back line of Kacey Hurley, Ruby Streatfeild, Anastasia Brunner and Sophie Rodriguez combined to help goalkeeper Jocelyn Simmons secure the clean sheet.
Dos Pueblos is now 3-1-0 on the young season ahead of next week’s Channel League opener.
Carpinteria High 2, St. Bonaventure 1
The Warriors pulled out a 2-1 victory over St. Bonaventure on Thursday in Carpinteria.
Carpinteria High opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Kaydance Gardner found Belen MacMurray for a goal and a 1-0 lead, which held through halftime.
St. Bonaventure netted the equalizer off a corner kick in the 54th minute, putting the pressure back on the Warriors.
Carpinteria turned up the aggressiveness on the offensive end, totaling 13 shots on goal. They finally broke through in the 72nd minute when Caroline Cooney followed up a loose ball and scored to make it 2-1.
The Warrior defense held strong from there to secure the non-league victory.
“I loved the tenacity that the young players are bringing to the squad and each match continues to give them more confidence,” Carpinteria High head coach Freddy Martinez said. “If this keeps up, we should be making a good impact in our league.”
The Warriors (3-0) will host Bishop Diego for another non-league matchup on Friday.