Two of the most successful North Coast Section fall soccer programs in recent years faced off in a non-league showdown on Saturday, and there was little to separate the two schools.
The Eureka Loggers hosted Ferndale and won 2-1 on what was another busy day for the H-DNL teams.
Also in action, South Fork and Del Norte tied 1-1 in a Redwood League game and Fortuna beat St. Bernard’s 4-1 in non-league action.
Ferndale and Eureka, who between them have won the past five NCS Division-1 championships and six total in five years, went head-to-head and it was an entertaining matchup on the new Albee Stadium all-turf field.
“It was great to play on a turf field,” Ferndale head coach Sam Licona said. “It’s a beautiful facility.”
Impressive sophomore Ella Moxon netted once in each half for the home team, including scoring a decisive goal in the second half to break a 1-1 halftime tie.
Reigning Redwood League MVP Madison Hagemann, who returned to the Ferndale lineup this week after a long injury layoff, played the full 80 minutes for the first time since early in the season and enjoyed a good afternoon for the visitors.
However, senior Teresa Catana-Moreno was forced from the game early on after picking up an injury.
Catana-Moreno lasted just 10 minutes but she made her presence felt, scoring the Cats’ only goal of the game, with Macie Hagemann assisting on the goal.
“We gain a player but we lose another one, so we’ll see how long of an injury it is for teresa, but that definitely is a big impact for the team,” Licona said.
The Eureka girls would grow into the game, overcoming a slow start on Homecoming week with a better second half as they look to continue to build for the business end of the campaign.
Eureka head coach Melaina Valdez switched some things up and it worked out well for the home team.
Junior Mariah Wyllie moved from the wing to striker and had a good day.
“She hustled and she put a lot out there,” Valdez said. “She definitely gave us some good energy on the field.”
Another junior, Peyton Graney, also had a good day between the posts for the Loggers.
Graney missed most of last season because of injury, but she is enjoying a good return to action this fall and is making her presence felt on the No. 2 ranked local team in the NCS right now.
“We’re happy to have her back,” Valdez said. “She made some great saves today.”
With the win, the Loggers improved to 7-1 on the season.
“It’s the middle of the season and it’s looking good,” Valdez said. “We’re definitely going to keep working through some things and we’re looking forward to improving.”
With the loss, the Cats dropped to 7-5-1.
“Eureka played well, they controlled the game well,” Licona added. “Although we played with some intensity, it wasn’t enough.”
The Crusaders, meanwhile, fell to Fortuna three days after their big league win over Ferndale.
Freshman Paloma Granados scored the only goal of the game for St. Bernard’s, following a big performance in the midweek victory.
She netted on a volley from close to midfield, according to SB head coach Brandon Amis.
“She’s got a cannon,” Amis said. “She’s got an absolute cannon.”
The Crusaders played well for the most part, according to the coach, but the Huskies just had a better game.
The loss was just the second of the season for the Crusaders, who dropped to 9-2-1.
“I think this team, they understand their assignments moving forward,” Amis added. “A loss doest define who we are.”
The Crusaders will try to get back on track against Arcata on Tuesday.
No stats or scoring details were immediately available for the Huskies, who improved to 8-2-2.
