Central Valley’s girls soccer team has reeled off 10 straight wins since losing 2-1 at Beyer in Western Athletic Conference play on Jan. 6.
“The girls learned every game we play, the mentality has to be the same,” head coach Miguel Larranaga said. “You have to be 100 percent focused. You have to play all 80 minutes at your max. They’ve been doing that.”
The Hawks improved to 14-4-2 overall and remained in first place in the WAC standings with a 12-1-0 mark this past week following its domination of Lathrop and Johansen.
“I’m proud of them,” said Larranaga, whose team is vying for its second straight conference title. “The girls are working very hard.”
Central Valley shut out Lathrop 6-0 on Thursday at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park.
Ashley Juarez and Jocelyn Rivera both tallied a team-high two goals against last-place Lathrop (2-16-3, 1-10-2).
Ayleen Apreza and Deanika Perez both scored once.
Central Valley cruised to a 5-1 victory over Johansen on Feb. 3 in Ceres.
Bella Ayala scored a career-high four goals versus the third-place Vikings (9-6-2, 8-5-0).
Juarez had one goal.
Dawgs lose
Ceres High’s girls soccer team dropped to 5-13-2 overall and 4-7-2 in the WAC standings after losing 6-1 to Beyer on Thursday in Modesto.
The second-place Patriots (19-2-1, 11-1-1) earned a WAC series sweep versus the fifth-place Bulldogs (5-13-2, 4-7-2).
Ceres High’s streak of consecutive playoff appearances will end at 10 seasons this year.
The Bulldogs have been forced to compete shorthanded the majority of the season after losing five players for various reasons, including three to club soccer.
“It’s tough,” Ceres High head coach Rudy Jimenez said. “If everyone was here, we could have made playoffs.”
Melina Castrejon accounted for Ceres High’s lone goal versus Beyer.
Maya Galvan tallied 11 saves while making her varsity debut at goalkeeper.
Grace Davis ended Ceres High’s two-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory on Feb. 3 in Modesto.
Sharryah Cabellos and Brianna Luna both netted one goal against fourth-place Grace Davis (6-13-3, 6-5-2) last week.
A newcomer to varsity, Bulldog goalie Stephany Sombrero totaled nine saves.
BOYS SOCCER
Ceres High’s boys soccer team has elevated its level of play since opening the Western Athletic Conference season with three straight losses.
The Bulldogs have collected six wins, one loss and three ties during their last 10 games.
“We’ve only lost one game since making adjustments to our defense,” head coach Gilbert Zamora said.
Ceres High improved to 8-7-5 overall and remained in fifth place in the WAC standings (6-4-3) after earning a 5-0 win over Beyer on Thursday at CUSD Stadium.
Leo Baez scored a team-high three goals against the last-place Patriots (1-16-0, 1-12-0).
Jesus Torrez and Jayson Trevino chipped in with one goal apiece.
Estevan Diaz dished out two assists.
Alonzo Oliveros, David Tapia and Mario Vargas all had one assist.
Ceres High defeated Grace Davis 3-1 on Feb. 3 at CUSD Stadium.
Daiz, Leo Baez and Jesus Baez all scored one goal against the seventh-place Spartans (2-16-1, 1-11-1).
Oliveros and Tapia contributed one assist apiece.
The Bulldogs remained in the hunt for a playoff berth.
“We have more experience now,” Zamora said. “We’ve built confidence. We’re healthy. We believe any team is beatable.”
Split for Hawks
Central Valley’s boys soccer team upset Lathrop and lost to Johansen last week.
Eliminated from the race for the WAC title, the Hawks are trying to secure their 17th Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth in program history.
“We proved we can compete against the top teams in our league,” head coach Horacio Garcia said. “Hopefully, the (section) committee takes our strength of schedule into consideration and we get a play-in game.”
Central Valley improved to 8-10-6 overall and climbed to fourth place in the WAC standings (6-4-3) after stunning first-place Lathrop 2-0 on the road last Thursday.
Elias Godinez, Alejandro Valencia, Jayden Pires, Benjamin Sanchez and Osvaldo Cisneros all filled key roles while leading the Hawks past the Spartans (17-5-2, 9-3-1).
Godinez and Valencia both contributed one goal.
Pires and Sanchez each had one assist.
Cisneros made seven saves at goalkeeper.
Central Valley lost 2-1 to Johansen on Feb. 3 in Modesto.
Sanchez accounted for the Hawks’ lone goal.
Valencia assisted.
Cisneros totaled four saves.
The Hawks posted an 0-2-0 record versus the third-place Vikings (12-4-5, 7-3-3) this season.
