Fil;e photo – The St. Bernard’s and South Fork girls both played non-conference games this week.

The St. Bernard’s girls knocked off a Big 4 school for the third time this season on Friday afternoon, getting the better of Eureka 2-1 in non-conference action.

The Crusaders rallied from a first-half deficit with goals from Eliana Sellars and CJ Figas.

Also in action on Friday, the Eureka boys closed out the first half of their league schedule with a 6-0 win over St. Bernard’s, while on Thursday night the South Fork girls defeated Willits 5-1.

After earlier wins over Fortuna and McKinleyville, the SB girls continued to cause problems for the Big 4 schools with another big performance on Friday.

“I’m really proud of the way our girls played today,” Crusaders head coach Jeff Sellars said. “They fought hard against a good and well-coached team.”

The SB forwards had a good day, with Malia Masayos, Eliana Sellars and CJ Figas all working well together and the latter two scoring “absolute bangers,” according to the coach.

“Our forwards were outstanding,” Jeff Sellars said. “Malia Masayos held up the ball well and charged the defense well … Eliana’s dribbling was impeccable and dangerous as always, CJ’s work rate was top notch.”

In midfield Amber Smith and Alyssa Boham also worked well together and their partnership in the middle of the field continues to play a key role for the team.

According to their coach, the hard-working duo “controlled the tempo, won key battles and kept us organized through transitions.”

At the back, Macie Wantt, Paula Bullock, Carli Baum and Chloe Grunden also worked well together in front of freshman goalkeeper Kaitlyn Amis, who continues to shine between them posts with a composure beyond her years.

“I can’t say enough about our back line,” Jeff Sellars said. “Our back four stayed disciplined, read the game beautifully and limited their chances.

“Kaitlyn Amis was rock solid again, making some huge saves and keeping the team confident from the back.

“It was a complete team effort, and I’m thrilled with the focus and energy we showed from start to finish.”

With the win, St. Bernard’s improved to 8-3-2 overall.

No stats or details were available for the Eureka girls.

In boys action, meanwhile, Isaiah Herbst netted twice as the Loggers comfortably took care of business against their crosstown rivals.

Cooper Munson, Junior Patino, Tri Ha and Logan Hunter each also scored in the win.

“I thought the boys put together a solid performance today and kept continuing to build on the success that we’ve been having recently,” Eureka head coach Tommy Learmouth said. “Today, I thought we struggled to bring a high intensity but were able to stay disciplined in our game plan.”

File photo

Herbst, Landon Larson, Kyan Green and Isidro Pimentel each had an assist in the win, as the Loggers took a 3-0 lead into halftime.

“Today was an opportunity to build on the momentum we started against Fortuna (in midweek), and I thought the team as a whole did that,” Learmouth added.

The Loggers, who are 2-4 in league, will open the second half of H-DNL action at Del Norte on Wednesday.

The South Fork girls, meanwhile, took a break from conference to play Willits and enjoyed a big win.

The always dangerous Hannah Savio had a hat trick in the win, while Makenzie Brewer netted twice.

Savio now has 11 goals on the season.

“The team passed well and shot on frame,” head coach Beth Anderson said. “We played strong defensively in both the midfield and defense.”

Aurora Galaz continued to be a consistent presence between the posts and finished with 10 saves, while Kara Worswick assisted on two of the team’s goals.

Savio, Calleigh Smith and Moly Perkins each also had an assist.

South Fork’s scheduled weekend game against McKinleyville has been postponed until Oct. 16.

Next up, the Cubs will host Del Norte in Little 4 action on Tuesday.