The Scotts Valley High girls soccer team got over a four-year hump last weekend, with a 1-0 win over league rival Santa Cruz High.
The Jan. 30 game was a makeup game after the original match was called off Jan. 19 because of heavy rain.
The game offered few scoring opportunities for either team.
Emily Payne scored the lone goal and eventual game-winner in the 39th minute, with a header off a free kick by Brittany Kuo from 30 yards out.
Scotts Valley had five shots on goal and Santa Cruz six in the tightly played contest. Kuo, Kelsey Baskovich, Kalynn Morano and Kacey Lilly led the local defense, and freshman goalkeeper Emily Johnson made several strong saves, including a spectacular stop at point-blank range in the second half, to preserve the shutout. She has allowed no goals in 10 straight games.
The Falcons’ leading goal scorer, Emily Payne, was injured in the contest and did not play in the team’s next game, a scoreless tie with Aptos on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Scotts Valley previously beat Santa Cruz on Feb. 23, 2006, when the Falcons defeated the Cardinals, 1-0, in the Central Coast Section quarterfinal on a goal by Negine Mansour to advance to the CCS championship game.
Since then, the Falcons have lost to the Cardinals four times and tied three times, including once in the section playoffs.
The weekend’s loss snapped the Cardinals’ 39-game win streak in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.
Scotts Valley is 6-0-1 in league after Tuesday’s tie.
The Falcons will travel to San Lorenzo Valley to play the Cougars at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. A rematch with Santa Cruz is scheduled for Feb. 11 at Aptos High School, under the lights at 7:45 p.m.
At a glance
Over the past four years, the Scotts Valley girls soccer team has a 2-4-3 record against Santa Cruz following last weekend’s win.
• Feb. 23, 2006: 1-0, Scotts Valley win
• Dec. 19, 2006: 0-0 tie
• Jan. 25, 2007: 1-1 tie
• Feb. 24, 2007: 1-0, Santa Cruz win
• Jan. 8, 2008: 0-0 tie
• Jan. 31, 2008: 3-1, Santa Cruz win
• Jan. 6, 2009: 2-0, Santa Cruz win
• Jan. 29, 2009: 2-1, Santa Cruz win
• Jan. 30, 2010: 1-0 Scotts Valley win
Boys
The Scotts Valley High boys soccer team is 2-5-1 in SCCAL play after a five-game winless streak.
Following a 2-1 win over Aptos High, the team fell to Santa Cruz (2-0), SLV (2-0) and Soquel (4-0) before tying with St. Francis (0-0) and falling to Aptos (2-1).
The Falcons will host Harbor at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, before playing Santa Cruz at the same time Feb. 12, also at home.
