It may not matter much in the race for this year’s Redwood League championship, but the way the Del Norte Warriors are playing right now no one will want to face them in the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs.
On Saturday afternoon, the Del Norte girls handed the St. Bernard’s Crusaders their first league loss in very windy conditions in Crescent City.
The 2-1 win lifted the Warriors to 1-1-3 in league play (six points) and stretched their unbeaten run to seven games.
The Crusaders dropped to 3-1 in league play (nine points), but they remain top of the standings with two games remaining and still hold their fate in their own hands. They can clinch the league title with a victory over South Fork on Thursday.
However, it was a good result for the Ferndale Wildcats, who were handed a lifeline.
The Cats, who comfortably took care of business with a 6-0 win over South Fork on Saturday, improved to 2-1-2 (eight points) in league and remain in the chase.
But they will need some help if they are to repeat as league champs.
They will need South Fork to at least tie SB this coming week, which would set up a true championship showdown against the Crusaders at Ferndale on Oct. 24.
Also in action on Saturday, in the Pacific League Eureka defeated McKinleyville 4-1 and Arcata played Fortuna.
No details from either of those games were immediately available.
Playing with the wind at their backs, the Crusaders struck first when CJ Figas opened the scoring, with Kate Bailey and Malia Masayos assisting on the goal.
But the Warriors would respond with two goals before halftime, and that was enough for one of the stingiest defenses in the H-DNL.
Elisabeth Lopez tied things up, before teammate Jaden Bennett, who is playing at an MVP level this fall, netted what would be the winning goal off a corner kick.
“Jaden Bennett had a really good game as far as moving the ball and working with the team,” Del Norte head coach Shawn Eckart said. “St. Bernard’s is a super tough team, and I think we just got momentum and locked it down.”
A defense that includes sisters Deanna Montanez and Joanna Montanez, Alexandra Eckart and Calia Deater, along with always impressive goalkeeper Avery Ritter, turned in another strong performance.
The loss was the third straight for the Crusaders, but their first in league play.
A team that has made a habit of slow starts began the game far better this time, something the coaches emphasized before kickoff.
However, they were unable to keep that momentum going.
“I thought we got back to Crusader soccer, playing really good possession,” St. Bernard’s head coach Brandon Amis said of his team’s first half. “We capitalized on the game plan we set up to deal with things we have not been doing well.”
The strong winds, however, would play a role in the outcome.
“They just handled the conditions better than we did,” Amis added.
Bailey continued to play at a high level for the visitors, much as the freshman standout has been doing all season.
“Kate Bailey was very thoughtful today,” Amis said of the center midfielder. “She made excellent decisions all over the field.”
Paula Bullock and Carli Baum also had a good games for SB in defense, helping to keep the home team scoreless in the second half.
At Ferndale, meanwhile, the Wildcats took control of their game against South Fork with four first-half goals.
Madison Hagemann continued to impress since her recent return from a long injury layoff and scored twice in the win, as did teammate Macie Wantt, who is also enjoying a very good season with the team.
Macie Hagemann and Gianna Regli each also scored in the win.
The Cats are playing without influential forward Teresa Catana-Moreno, who is injured right now but expected back soon.
“We played well,” Ferndale head coach Sam Licona said. “We’re still without Teresa, so we’re adjusting as we go. We changed our formation, and I think it worked out better for us.”
It was also Homecoming week for the Wildcats, but the players did a good job of not allowing that take them out of their game.
“It was Homecoming week and the girls were busy with all sorts of activities,” Licona said. “I could tell they were exhausted, but they did what they had to do.”
It was a good all-around team performance, with several players stepping up, especially a midfield that includes Regli, Macie Hagemann and Arlene Glines, who collectively had a big impact on the outcome.
