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A dominating season continued for the Ferndale Wildcats on Tuesday as they moved within one win of securing the Little 4 championship barely more than halfway through the conference schedule.

The Ferndale girls welcomed Del Norte to the Cream City and won 4-0.

With the victory, they improved to 5-0 (10 points) in conference play and they now sit six points clear of the chasing pack with four games and a maximum of eight points still available for all four schools.

Del Norte and St. Bernard’s are tied for second with identical records of 1-2-2 (four points).

Also in the Little 4 on Tuesday, St. Bernard’s tied South Fork 2-2.

Remarkably, the Wildcats now have more than twice as many wins in conference play as the rest of the Little 4 combined, including three shutouts.

The victory was the seventh straight for Ferndale and stretched the team’s unbeaten run to 14 straight games.

“It was a great game,” Ferndale head coach Bailey Davy said. “The girls played really well.”

The visiting Warriors came out strong and enjoyed some good moments early on, but the hosts would settle in and carried a two-goal advantage into halftime.

Madison Hagemann opened the scoring for the Cats, and her sister Macie Hagemann would add two more goals to give her team a comfortable lead.

The in-form Teresa Catana closed out the scoring.

“We came out pretty strong,” Del Norte head coach Shawn Eckart said. “But I think that third goal really deflated them in the second half. Our defense wasn’t dialed in.”

The victory was secured with a couple of big performances by Macie Hagemann and the always dangerous Claire Renner in midfield.

“The two of them controlled most of the game from the center field,” Davy added. “Macie had a few through balls that she nailed. Absolutely perfect placement that she delivered on multiple attacks.”

Goalkeeper Tinnley Pidgeon also impressed between the posts for the Cats, while Michaela Ellsmore continued to shine with another strong performance to help anchor a stingy Ferndale defense.

Aurora Mitchell had a good game for the visitors.

“She definitely kept our energy up and kept the team moving forward,” Eckart said. “It was a loss, but a learning experience.”

At South Fork, meanwhile, the Cubs recorded a second straight tie in conference play.

The home team led 1-0 at halftime, but the Crusaders would enjoy the better of exchanges after the interval to salvage a share of the spoils.

“Once again, I think we didn’t really pick up our intensity until the second half,” St. Bernard’s head coach Jeff Sellars said. “But, having said that, we had multiple chances in the first half that just didn’t land for us.”

Forward Hannah Savio continued to cause problems for opposing defenses and opened the scoring for the Cubs, off an assist by Molly Perkins.

Gage Bates would double the home team’s tally in the second half, with Savio assisting.

The always dangerous Eliana Sellars opened the scoring for St. Bernard’s, before an own goal off a shot from CJ Figas securing the tie.

The Crusaders played without injured defender Chloe Grunden and had to make some adjustments, but Carli Baum stepped up in her absence and had a good game.

“She was really working hard and showcasing her pace,” Jeff Sellars said of the standout sophomore. 

Paula Bullock also had a good game in defense, while in midfield Amber Smith, Alyssa Boham and Macie Wantt “worked tirelessly,” according to the coach, and played a pivotal role in “helping us regain momentum.”

Eliana Sellars also impressed up front and gave the team some energy and creativity, according to they coach, alongside Figas, who continually kept the pressure on the South Fork defense.

“Overall, it’s not the result we wanted, but there’s a lot to build on,” Jeff Sellars said. “The effort, the response and the belief were all there tonight.”

Consistent South Fork goalkeeper Aurora Galaz had a player-of-the-game performance, making an incredible 20 saves to keep her team in the game.

“Aurora Galaz had her best game yet,” South Fork coach Beth Anderson said. “She had some brilliant saves and kept us in the game.”

So too did the Cubs back line, which had “solid defensive pressure throughout the game,” according to the coach, while Kara Worswick continued to set the tone as the Cubs midfielders “played tough defensively and created offensive opportunities for us,” Anderson added.

“It was a hard-fought, exciting game,” the South Fork coach said. “I am really proud of the continued improvement shown game after game and the commitment to being a more cohesive team from all of our players.”

The Crusaders also tied Fortuna 1-1 in non-conference action on Saturday.

Smith scored the only goal of the game for SB, off an assist from Malia Masayos.

“It was a really physical game,” Jeff Sellars said. “But I’m proud of how our girls battled through it.”

The Crusaders played without Eliana Sellars because of injury and also lost Grunden to injury during the game.

But the players “showed a lot of heart and resilience to stay composed and keep competing until the final whistle,” according to the coach.

The coach also praised the play of defenders Grunden, Paula Bullock, Baum and Xochitl Granados, all of whom “stepped up big, winning challenges and organizing the defense under pressure,” he said.

Young goalkeeper Kaitlyn Amis also had a good game, as did the ever-reliable midfield trio of Smith, Boham and Wantt, who “did an incredible job controlling tempo and connecting play despite being under constant pressure,” the coach added.

Figas and Masayos also worked tirelessly up front.

“Games like this really test your character and I couldn’t be prouder of how our team responded,” Jeff Sellars said.