The Eureka and Fortuna girls kicked off the Big 4 with victories on Tuesday afternoon, as both schools look to compete for this year’s conference championship in soccer.

The Loggers traveled to Arcata and came away with a 2-1 win over the Tigers, while the Huskies played at McKinleyville and won comfortably 7-0.

The Loggers and Tigers were tied 0-0 at halftime, but the visitors enjoyed the better of exchanges in the second half with goals from Elliot Banducci and Lola Distefano helping to seal the victory.

“It was a battle the whole game,” Eureka head coach Melania Valdez. “Arcata always comes out with a lot of pressure and a lot of intensity.”

The Eureka players, however, matched that intensity with a big second half.

“We talked about it (at halftime) and the girls adjusted and put everything together,” the Eureka coach added. “They had a great second half. These girls are incredibly coachable and have that determination always.”

Goalkeeper Kaylee Hill was instrumental in the win, as the visiting Loggers held on down the stretch.

“Kaylee Hill had a phenomenal game,” Valdez said. “She did an incredible job today.”

The Loggers feature a very young roster this season, with just four seniors and several freshmen.

But the youngsters appear to be adjusting well to the high school game and “all did a great job” in the win, according to their coach.

No one more so than Banducci, who has begun her high school career in style and contributed in midfield and on the wing in Tuesday’s win.

“No matter where I put her, she was giving it 100 percent today,” Valdez said. “She was a big-time leader on the field for us.”

No details were immediately available for the Tigers, who dropped to 0-1 in the Big 4.

At McKinleyville, meanwhile, the Fortuna Huskies also got their conference schedule off to a good start.

And they won with several players stepping up.

Isabel Sanchez, Brooklyn Gonzalez, Madison Miller, Irie Shoemaker and Lania Fontaine all scored in the win.

And the performance was a nice response from a Fortuna team that had struggled somewhat early in the season and came into league play with a record of 2-3-1.

“I felt like we played up to our level finally,” head coach Arnulfo Aguirre said. “It took us a few games to get there.

“I felt like we moved the ball around well and defensively it was a solid performance.”

Midfielder Eryn Hunter had a good game in the middle of the field, while the entire Fortuna back line was instrumental in the shutout.

“I think everyone out ready to play and really wanted the win,” Aguirre added. 

No stats or details were immediately available for McKinleyville.

Coaches are encouraged to forward details to Humboldt Sports if they would like their players included in our roundups.