Goalkeepers Sarah McCray of McKinleyville and Deja Payne of Del Norte enjoyed big afternoons on Saturday as the Panthers and Warriors played to a 0-0 tie in a non-conference girls soccer game in Crescent City.

Remarkably, McCray had just one full practice at the position before getting the start because of injuries elsewhere in the team, but she rose to the challenge with a strong performance between the posts.

“She stepped up for us,” McKinleyville head coach Brady Burtchett said.

Payne too turned in a strong performance for her team as she continues to grow in stature on a much-improved Warriors squad.

The senior shot-stopper made one outstanding save in the second half to help preserve the clean sheet.

“It was a battle,” first-year Del Norte head coach Shawn Eckart said. “My girls battled. McKinleyville definitely had a lot of possession, but my defensive line did well and Deja Payne played well. Deja made several really good saves.”

The Panthers enjoyed the greater share of possession but were unable to find a way past the stellar Del Norte defense.

“We had really good touches, I thought we controlled the game,” Burtchett said. “We had a lot of opportunities, we just didn’t finish our opportunities.”

Senior standout Gabby Watson impressed in midfield and helped set the tone for her teammates with another composed performance for the Panthers.

Likewise with Del Norte’s Alexis Aguirre, who continues to be a team leader for her team.

“Alexis Aguirre was on it,” said Eckart.

Elizabeth Lopez also continued to impress for the Warriors, who have hit the ground running this season and have lost just once in four games.

Freshman Jaden Bennett, meanwhile, rose to the challenge for the Warriors after the team captains voted to move her up from the JVs for the game to fill in for an injured player.

The young standout was playing in her first-ever varsity game on the left wing and almost scored the winning goal with a hard-hit shot that challenged McCray.

“Jaden Bennett had an amazing shot on goal that almost won the game,” Eckart said. “She pinged it, but the McKinleyville goalkeeper made a great save.”

One of the Del Norte team captains, KaLynn Schaad, also was instrumental for the home team and made her presence felt throughout the game in midfield.

“If it wasn’t for KaLynn Schaad shutting down the midfield, I don’t think we would have tied,” Eckart said. “KaLynn Schaad really brought it in midfield.”

The Panthers, meanwhile, have been playing well through the early part of the season despite having just five returning players on the roster.

The player shave been creating plenty of opportunities.

“We’re playing hard, we’re just not finding the back of the net right now,” Burtchett said.

The McKinleyville coach also paid tribute to the Warriors.

“They’re much improved under their new coach, so they made it difficult,” he said.

Both teams will return to conference play this week, with big games for each on Wednesday.

The Warriors will travel to play Ferndale in the Little 4, while the Panthers will head to Eureka to play the Loggers in the Big 4.