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Hawks tie, lose once in conference play
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Eight key members of Central Valley High School's varsity girls soccer team competed at less than full strength against Patterson and Livingston.

"Over half of our players played in tournaments (for their club teams) this past weekend," Hawks head coach Cyndi Meshach said. "That's part of the reason they were sluggish. They were exhausted."

Jasmine Martinez made 10 saves while making her first start at goalkeeper in Central Valley's 1-1 tie at Patterson in Western Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, March 15.

"She did a great job," coach Meshach said.

Alicia Yori gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead when she scored from 15 yards out early in the second half. Simi Talawan assisted via a free kick.

The Tigers salvaged a tie with less than three minutes to play.

Central Valley had a disappointing debut in the WAC.

The Hawks surrendered two goals in the opening half en route to a 3-1 loss to Livingston on Monday, March 14 in Ceres.

Lizette Covarrubias prevented the shutout when she scored after intermission.

Covarrubias, Talawan, Yori, Martinez, Kayla Meshach, Kaelin Smith, Alexiss Cervera and Paola Leon played five games in four days.

Covarrubias, Talawan, Yori, Meshach, Smith and Cervera helped lead the Ceres Earthquakes under-19 girls competitive soccer team to a 3-0 record in Bracket H at the CYSA North Association Cup, held March 12-13 in Morgan Hill.

Leon played for the Earthquakes' U-16 squad, which tallied one tie and two losses in Bracket D.

Martinez suited up for the U-19 Atwater Elite. Her team finished second in Bracket E with a 2-1 mark.

"I'm proud of them for what they did," coach Meshach said. "They played as well as they possibly could. They were running on adrenaline."

Central Catholic 5, Ceres High 0

Junior sweeper Anissa Torres and her Ceres High School varsity girls soccer teammates had plenty of motivation for Wednesday's Western Athletic Conference opener with Central Catholic.

The Bulldogs never posed a threat in losing 5-0 to former CHS leader Dominic Figueroa and the Raiders on Wednesday night in Ceres.

Ceres High compiled a 7-14-4 overall record and finished in fifth place in the Valley Oak League (4-10-2) under Figueroa's guidance in 2010.

"I was really looking forward to playing them and seeing how they've developed," he said. "A lot of their girls did fantastic things tonight."

"It was weird," Torres said while talking about seeing her old coach on the opposite sideline. "It just made us want to win to show him what he's missing out on."

First-year goalkeeper Jamie Beck totaled 11 saves for Ceres High (2-6-1, 0-1).

Katelyn Ketchum and Sara Pimentel both scored twice for the Raiders (7-1-1, 2-0). Rebecca Vlha had one goal.

Central Catholic junior/Ceres resident Tonee Cobb contributed on defense.

Raiders goalie Katie Cardenas was forced to make just two saves.

The Raiders tallied goals in the fifth, 18th, 20th and 26th minutes on their way to building a comfortable 4-0 lead in the opening half.

"We lost confidence after the first goal," said Torres, who competed with a severely bruised right shin. "We definitely needed to be a lot more aggressive. We did a lot better towards the end. I'm not too disappointed. They have one of the best teams in the league."

Added Bulldogs head coach Randy Cerny: "Central Catholic is stronger than I thought they'd be. We should have had a better game. I'm still proud of my girls. They never stopped battling."

Figueroa downplayed the win over his former team.

"We want to win league," he said. "This is just another game."