Ceres High School's varsity girls soccer team collected wins versus El Capitan and Pacheco during the beginning portion of its Western Athletic Conference schedule.
"It feels good," Bulldogs head coach Miguel Saldate said. "But we still have to play better teams. That will show us where we're at."
Ceres High earned a narrow 3-2 victory while battling El Capitan on Wednesday in Merced.
The Bulldogs blanked the Vaqueros 3-0 during a scrimmage on Feb. 23.
"I had a good talk with the girls," Saldate said. "We could have done better. It was an ugly game. But we won."
Paula Alvarez, Dominique Koeurn and Noelia de Leon all scored one goal for the Bulldogs.
Ceres High coasted to a 7-1 win against Pacheco on March 9 at Bulldog Stadium.
Breanna Moreno led the Bulldogs in scoring with two goals.
Paula Alvarez tallied one goal and one assist.
Angelica Slater, Noelia de Leon, Cristina Arreola and Miranda Wilds all contributed one goal.
"We had good communication," Saldate said. "I'm happy. We have a pretty solid defense. I'm expecting us to go far. We're not going to underestimate teams."
Tigers 2, Hawks 1
Hawks 1, Wolves 0
Central Valley High School's varisty girls soccer team won one of two games during the opening week of Western Athletic Conference play.
"I was ecstatic with how they played," Hawks head coach Cyndi Meshach said.
Patterson escaped with a 2-1 win over Central Valley on Wednesday at Patterson Community Stadium.
"We gave them a run for their money," Meshach said. "It's a minor setback, something to learn from. We're still gunning for first place. We're looking forward to playing them again."
Freshman Mariana Garibay accounted for the Hawks' lone goal.
She scored off a pass from senior Emely Amaya during the second half.
Central Valley freshman goalkeeper Emely Lopez made five saves.
The Tigers scored goals in the opening and closing minutes.
"It was impressive to watch both teams," Meshach said. "We have completely different styles."
Central Valley edged host Livingston 1-0 on March 9.
The Hawks competed without Amaya, who did not play due to a previous engagement.
"Without Emely, we were missing our commander on the field," Meshach said. "Our communication wasn't as great. We still outplayed them. It was a very physical game."
Garibay broke a scoreless tie when she converted a penalty kick in the second half.
Patterson and Livingston both made playoffs last season.
BOYS GOLF
Ceres High's and Los Banos' unbeaten varsity boys golf teams faced off this past week.
The Bulldogs dropped to 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference standings after losing 230-265 to the Tigers on March 10 at Pheasant Run Golf Course.
The Tigers improved to 3-0 on the year.
"I did not have my team prepared," Ceres High head coach Dave Fry said. "We will re-tool."
Jacob Langan led the Bulldogs with a 10-over-par 46.
James Cervantez, Jake Nevarez, Zac Chapman and Blake Bruton shot 51, 55, 56 and 57, respectively.
Los Banos had three players post scores in the 40s, including Brandon Valdez (41), Jimmy Georgiou (43) and Drake Cook (46). Joe Bondi (50) and Jacob Houmea (50) carded identical scores.
CV loses to Pacheco
Central Valley lost 291-317 to host Pacheco on Thursday at Diablo Grande.
Diego Martinez paced the Hawks (1-2) with a 50.
Bryan Villagran (64), Derek Weis (66), Teven Willey (67) and Jose Castillo (70) rounded out Central Valley's scorecard.
