The race for this year’s Big 4 championship in girls soccer took another turn on Tuesday as the Arcata Tigers moved into top spot in the standings.

The Arcata girls posted their third straight win in conference play, edging Fortuna 1-0 and leapfrogging the Huskies in the standings.

However, Fortuna and Eureka remain right on their their heels, just one point off the conference lead with four games remaining for each team.

Also on Tuesday, Eureka got the better of McKinleyville 2-1 to move into a tie with the Huskies for second.

Darby Moore scored the only goal of the game for Arcata, which improved to 3-1-1 in conference (seven points), netting after a scramble in front of goal.

Ava Deyhim had the assist, making an impact after missing the last matchup between these two schools because of an ankle injury.

In a tight and closely-fought game, the Arcata back line held firm and was a catalyst in the shutout.

Luciana Buchheister, Aleta Stubblefield and Hazel Ray all had good games in defense against a quality Fortuna attack, while the midfield pairing of Amabel Miranda and Jada Lusk controlled the middle of he field and helped set the tempo for their teammates.

The always consistent Sonja Vevoba-Wahlia enjoyed another big game in goal, making numerous key saves to keep her team in the game, as the Tigers posted a second straight shutout in conference play.

The Arcata coaches also praised the performance of Gabby Cavinta, who “brought nonstop energy and positivity, helping maintain the team’s focus and morale from start to finish.”

The Arcata coaches also paid tribute to Fortuna “for a well-played and competitive match.”

The Eureka girls, meanwhile, edged McKinleyville by the narrowest of margins to keep their title ambitions on track.

The victory was the team’s first in conference since beating Arcata on opening day.

“The girls probably played their best game of the season in terms of possession,” Eureka head coach Melania Valdez said. “I was super stoked with the way they played. Our wings were running wild to get back into position, as they should, our midfield was the catalyst getting the ball to our strikers, and we took lots and lots of shots.”

The Panthers struggled to find their groove at times.

“I thought for the most part it was not our best game that we played and a little disappointing, McKinleyville head coach Adam Canepa said. “But when we did go down two goals, I think that’s when we finally woke up and we started playing better and were able to get a goal back

“So I applaud them for not keeping their heads down and not giving up.”

The impressive Ella Moxon scored both goals for the Loggers, who opened up a two-goal advantage before the Panthers battled back to make for an interesting finish.

Moxon has featured in midfield for much of the season, but moved up front for the entire game on Tuesday and had a “huge” game there, according to her coach.

Kolby Hammer also impressed for Eureka at left outside back.

“She absolutely crushed it,” Valdez said. “She was going at 100 percent the entire game. She honestly was just a dog out there. She was getting after it.”

Grace Pimintel scored an unassisted goal for the Panthers as she continues to set the tone for her teammates.

“Definitely Grace was the player of the match and had a lot of effort and led by example as a captain should do,” Canepa said.