In the latest meeting in a heated Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League rivalry, the Scotts Valley Falcons soccer team squeaked by the Santa Cruz Cardinals this week, 1-0 — a score that has haunted both teams throughout their turbulent history.
The teams have met 21 times in both SCCAL and Central Coast Section games, and there have been seven ties and nine 1-0 wins in the rivalry.
Scotts Valley (6-3, 3-0 SCCAL) is the defending league champion after beating Santa Cruz last year 1-0 and playing to a 0-0 draw in league play. When the teams met in the 2010 CCS championship game, though, Santa Cruz came out on top, 1-0.
The lone goal in Monday’s match came off a corner kick by Falcons forward Taylor Rohde that was headed toward the goal by Madison Black before Jessica Romeo darted in and used her body to push the ball past Santa Cruz keeper Stephanie Busch.
Busch and Falcons all-league goalie Emily Johnson were kept busy all game, combining for 13 total saves.
Scotts Valley captain Jordin Carlson had five shots on goal, and Black bounced another shot off the Santa Cruz crossbar.
“Every game in league is gonna be tough,” Scotts Valley coach Art Munoz said. “So to beat our archrival is pretty big. We were confused a few times, but we played physically and got a big victory.”
Santa Cruz is 1-7-1 on the year.
The games will keep getting tougher for the Falcons as they play at Aptos (6-3, 0-2 SCCAL) after press time Jan. 13 and meet undefeated Harbor High (6-0, 3-0) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, at Depot Park, 119 Center St., in Santa Cruz.
Scotts Valley 4, San Lorenzo Valley 0
The previous week, the Falcons defeated the San Lorenzo Valley High Cougars, 4-0, in the second game of league play Jan. 6.
Carlson, Rohde, Megan Keating and Lena Gustafsson scored a goal each in the win.
