The Eureka girls soccer team suffered its first loss of the season at Fortuna on Wednesday, but the Loggers remain well in the chase for a fourth consecutive league crown.
Three games into conference play, the Loggers are now 2-1 and tied with both Arcata and Fortuna at the top of the standings with six games remaining each.
While she was disappointed with the outcome on Wednesday, first-year Eureka head coach Melania Valdez was more than happy with her players’ efforts.
“Fortuna played a great possessive game and unfortunately we were unable to match it that evening,” Valdez said. “It was aggressive, but the girls stepped up.
“It was definitely the most fight I’ve seen out of them to date. They wanted it, but as a team we just came up short.”
Several players impressed in the loss, but two in particular stood out.
Senior defender Paige Rodgers had a second half to help keep her team in contention, while goalkeeper Payton Graney made some key stops on a busy evening for the shot stopper.
“Paige Rodgers had a fantastic second half and was a force against Fortuna’s offense,” Valdez said of the senior, who has grown as a player during her four years with the team.
Graney allowed just the one goal.
“(She) got a lot of action and stepped up,” Valdez said. “She did great.”
The Loggers will try to get back to winning ways when they host St. Bernard’s on Saturday.
For more on the Fortuna girls, see Three-way tie atop the conference standings …
