After barely losing a pair of championships to the Eureka Loggers over the last 12 months, the Fortuna Huskies ensured they will get another shot at their league rivals in their biggest game of the season.
On Wednesday night, the Huskies battled to a 1-0 win over Del Norte in the North Coast Section Division-1 fall soccer playoffs to set up a second straight final appearance against Eureka.
The two H-DNL powerhouse teams will meet at Washington Elementary School on Friday afternoon, with kick off set for 2:30 p.m.
The Loggers have won the last three Division-1 section titles, including edging Fortuna in last year’s final, as well as coming from behind to win this year’s league championship, as the Huskies faded down the stretch with two straight losses to close out.
And the Fortuna players will relish another opportunity to take on their rivals.
“We get a rematch from last year and it should be another good one,” Fortuna head coach Arnulfo Aguirre said.
The Huskies have proven they can beat the Loggers and were 2-1 against them in three league games this fall.
But the Fortuna coach knows his players will need to bring their A game against a Eureka team that is peaking at the business end of the season and has won five straight games, including two straight in the playoffs.
“We need to take our chances in front of goal,” he said. “When opportunities come we need to take advantage of them. Sometime you don’t get that many.”
They did just enough on Wednesday, with Sanchez scoring the only goal of the game in the second half and senior midfield Raigan Brooks effectively controlling the tempo of the game in the middle of the field.
“In the first half, it was kind of slow, but that’s to be expected because the field was kind of a mess,” Aguirre said. “In the second half we figured it out more. We had combinations and were taking shots and taking opportunities when they came.
“We were moving the ball well and there was more talking in the second half, and that’s what I’m proud of the girls for. They worked hard.”
Brooks, in particular, helped lead her team to victory.
“She’s been that team leader and captain for us,” Aguirre said. “And she was making sure we were organized and making sure everyone was on top of their game. She was just making plays.”
