The Loggers got the better of their crosstown rivals in a pair of soccer games on Wednesday.
Both Eureka teams made the short trip to St. Bernard’s and enjoyed successful afternoons, with the girls winning 2-1 and the boys prevailing 9-1.
The win was the fifth straight for the Eureka girls, who improved to 10-1.
In other games on Wednesday, the Del Norte girls stretched their unbeaten run to eight straight games with a 0-0 tie against McKinleyville, while the Del Norte and McKinleyville boys also tied 1-1.
Kyla Benzinger opened the scoring for the Loggers on a well-placed shot from long range, with Natalie Wyllie setting up the scoring opportunity.
They carried a one-goal cushion into the break, but would add to their tally just five minutes into the second half when Elliot Banducci scored from a nice corner kick by Lola Distefano.
The Crusaders would cut the deficit back to one midway through the half, but they were unable to get any closer.
“The girls came out really strong on both teams,” Eureka head coach Melaina Valdez said. “Our wings and middle were worked hard but held their own.”
The Crusaders had opportunities to add to their tally, but Distefano and Maya Mitchell each made goal mouth clearances to preserve the advantage.
Goalkeeper Peyton Graney also impressed for the visitors as she continues to have a big impact on the team, while Banducci “worked incredibly hard in the middle,” according to her coach, while playing all 80 minutes.
The loss was the fourth straight for St. Bernard’s, which dropped to 9-5-1.
Both teams will resume league play on Saturday.
St. Bernard’s hosts South Fork and Eureka hosts Fortuna.
The Eureka boys also won on Wednesday.
Lucas Ask, D’Alessandro Medina, Brayden Bermers and Landon Larson each scored twice in the win, with Luiz Gonzalez rounding out the scoring.
The Loggers started slow and trailed early, but they would grow into the and outscored their hosts 8-0 in the second half.
“It was a tale of two halves tonight,” Eureka head coach Tommy Learmouth said. “We didn’t start well or play well in the first half.”
A dominating start to the second half, which saw Eureka score four goals in the first six minutes, quickly ended the game as a contest.
Ask was particularly effective in attack and had two assists in addition to his two goals, with Medina, Bryce Pope and Josh Fernandez each also getting an assist.
“What we’ve been working on in practice really showed and today corners were very effective for us,” said Learmouth, whose team scored three times off corner kicks. “All in all, happy with how we played in the second half.”
Next up, the Eureka boys will host Fortuna on Saturday on Senior Day for the team.
Kick off is set for 1 p.m.
