Submitted photo – The Eureka girls celebrate their NCS championship on Saturday night.
By Ray Hamill — It was another season to relish for the Eureka girls soccer team, as the Loggers clinched a third North Coast Section crown in four postseasons this past weekend.
Say what you want about a diminished pool of teams that play fall soccer these days, this Eureka team is still achieving things few H-DNL programs manage.
And the Eureka girls are showing no signs of slowing down.
In the past five seasons, they have posted three undefeated campaigns against H-DNL opposition, and that’s not something many programs achieve in any sport.
And the Loggers have achieved that remarkable success with two very different groups of players during that time.
Under the guidance of head coach Tommy Learmouth, the Eureka girls have built a program that continues to thrive and a flourishing team culture.
The fourth-year head coach certainly has a deeper pool of talent and experienced players at his disposal, but he has them competing as a cohesive unit and playing for each other.
He also has done a good job keeping his players focused and (mostly) avoiding complacency, with no letdown late in the season.
The Arcata girls pushed them all the way in an exciting NCS championship game, which was the third section decider between the two clubs in five years, all won by the bigger school.
The Tigers, to their credit, came out with a determination and intensity that caused the eventual winners plenty of problems, and ultimately it was just the one goal that separated the sides at the final whistle.
This was a much better showing for the Tigers than in their first two meetings against the Loggers this season.
Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
In the end, however, even if it came by the most slender of margins, it was the Loggers who walk away as champions, once again.
It was a deserved conclusion to a memorable season.
They wrapped up the league title about as quickly as possible and upped the momentum in the playoffs.
Their defense was outstanding, their midfield dynamic and their attack literally unstoppable, scoring as it did in every single game.
The bad news for the rest of the league is that most of this squad will return again next year and it would take a brave soul to bet against them winning it all again.
Congratulations to the Loggers for an outstanding season.
