Central Valley’s girls soccer team pulled away for a 5-2 win over crosstown-rival Ceres High in non-conference play on Nov. 29 at CUSD Stadium.

“It wasn’t an easy game,” Hawks’ head coach Miguel Larranaga said. “They put up a fight in the beginning. It was pretty even.”

“I don’t think we did that poorly with us having just three practices and being a new team,” Bullogs’ head coach Hannah Menk said. “I did see glimmers of hope. It was competitive throughout the game. We just made simple errors.”

Kalli Hoffman and Emaly Fernandez led Central Valley in scoring with two goals apiece.

Ally Singh collected one goal.

Kristina Corbin and Natalie Cabrales accounted for Ceres High’s two goals.

The Bulldogs never recovered after falling behind 4-1 in the opening half.

Corbin’s close-range goal gave Ceres High a 1-0 lead.

The Hawks responded with four straight goals.

Hoffman converted a penalty kick to even the score at 1-1.

“From there, it went downhill,” Menk said. “The pressure got to our heads. We came out strong in the first 20-25 minutes.”

Central Valley and Ceres High played twice during the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season.

The Hawks won the first meeting, 3-1.

The second game ended in a 0-0 tie.

“It’s a game you don’t want to lose,” Larranaga said. “You always give 100 percent. You want to show your hometown you’re the best team. It’s a pride thing.”

Hawks 2, Dawgs 2

Central Valley’s boys soccer team salvaged a 2-2 tie while battling crosstown-rival Ceres High on Nov. 19 at CUSD Stadium.

“Overall, it was a very competitive game,” Hawks’ head coach Horatio Garcia said. “It was very physical. We could have done better. Our kids put too much pressure on themselves because it was a rivalry game.”

“Playing them lets us know what position we’re in,” Bulldogs’ head coach Gilbert Zamora Sr. said. “They have a really good team. At the end of the day, we’re all friends. I know most of their players. Five of their players play on my under-17 travel team. I wish Central Valley the best this year. I hope they go far.”

Central Valley’s Fernando Cano and Alex Bautista both scored once against Ceres High.

Carlos Ochoa Marin chipped in with one assist.

Hawk goalkeeper Gael Navarro totaled four saves.

Ceres High’s Enrique Murillo and Sergio Gonzalez each scored one goal.

Noah Zamora collected two assists.

Bulldog goalie Jesse Villalobos had six saves.

Ceres High appeared headed for a 2-1 victory.

The Bulldogs surrendered the tying goal late in the game.

Bautista converted a penalty kick with 34 seconds to play.

“It’s a really bad feeling,” Zamora Sr. 

Ceres High and Central Valley battled to a scoreless tie in the opening half.

The two teams combined for four goals after intermission.

“I’m happy with the result,” Garcia said. “We didn’t start the season off with a loss. Those are the types of games we want to play. We want to play against really competitive teams.”

“Our team was really focused both halves,” Zamora Sr. said.