This year’s Big 4 in girls soccer is proving to be a lot more competitive than we’ve seen in recent years.

On Wednesday, the Fortuna Huskies returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Eureka and Arcata beat McKinleyville 1-0, leaving the Tigers, Huskies and Loggers all tied atop the standings with identical 2-1 records.

After last week’s loss to Arcata, which was their first of the season, the Huskies edged the defending conference champion Loggers at Fortuna with freshman Jocelyn Dahl netting the only goal of the game in the opening half.

And that would prove to the difference in a tight game.

For the Huskies, it was a tale of two halves.

“I feel like in the first half, each team was trying to feel the other out and we both had chances,” Fortuna head coach Arnulfo Aguirre said. “In the second half, I felt like my girls came out from the beginning putting in more effort and being more physical and really wanted to get that win.

“And once we scored, their confidence rose.”

The victory keeps the Huskies well on course for a conference championship one third of the way through the Big 4 schedule.

It was also a particularly gratifying win for many of the Fortuna players who barely lost to the Loggers in last year’s North Coast Section championship game.

Several players stood out for the Huskies, most notably the team seniors.

At the back, Jorlynn Villalvazo and Myra Hayes used their experience to anchor a strong defensive performance and help preserve the clean sheet.

“They set the tone at the back,” Aguirre said of the senior center back pairing.

Two other seniors played key roles in midfield, with Jocelyn Marquez Olea and Raigan Brooks dictating play in the center of the field.

“They made sure everyone was doing their jobs and contributing,” the Fortuna head coach added.

As a team, the Huskies have come together well this fall and are well positioned to win a first conference championship since 2019.

“I’m proud of the girls and all the effort and hard work they’ve been putting in, and it shows,” Aguirre said.

The Huskies will host Del Norte in a non-conference game on Saturday.

At McKinleyville, meanwhile, the host Panthers suffered another close defeat and they have now lost their three conference games by just a combined four goals.

Freshman Darby Moore scored the decisive goal for the Tigers, which was her first at the high school level.

The Arcata girls led 1-0 at the break. 

“We played pretty well. I thought we had more opportunities,” said McKinleyville head coach Brady Burtchett, who added “It’s kind of been little mistakes that have cost us.” 

The home defense, however, did a good job limiting the Tigers’ opportunities in front of goal for much of the game, with the composed Bailee Box at stopper and Ahty Allen at sweeper anchoring the unit with strong performances.

Next up, the Panthers will host South Fork in a non-conference game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Arcata plays at Ferndale.

There were no other details from Wednesday’s game available for the Tigers.

Unfortunately, Arcata head coach Mathew Ingram informed Humboldt Sports on Thursday afternoon he will not be providing any details of how his players are performing or details  of any of the team’s games for the remainder of the season.