Girls Soccer: Arcadia Blanked in Narrow Loss to Crescenta Valley

The  girls soccer team welcomed back its starting goalkeeper, Ally Woodward, to an already impressive defensive unit in its game against Arcadia on Tuesday afternoon. Woodward’s addition back into the lineup was definitely a positive for the Falcons as they scored a 1-0 victory behind a goal in the 13th minute by Katie Callister.

It was the Falcons’ fourth consecutive shutout, but first with Woodward who previously had been sidelined by an injury.

“We’re excited to have her back,” said Crescenta Valley coach Jorden Schulz. “She’s a vocal leader and allows our defenders to play more relaxed.”

After playing evenly for the first few minutes, Arcadia committed a foul just outside the penalty box. A Falcon forward kicked the ball into a crowded area and the Apaches tried to clear it, but Callister was able to get a foot on the ball and poke it into the corner of the net.

“We had too many mental mistakes,” Arcadia coach Paul Miles said. “We can’t just give teams opportunities and expect them not to capitalize.”

Just three minutes after Callister’s goal, Crescenta Valley’s Sierra Rhoads broke through two defenders and clanked the ball off the right goal post as the Apaches cleared it away from danger. It was the closest either team would come to a goal for the remainder of the game.

Time of possession was a near even split throughout the match and Arcadia had a handful of scoring opportunities as well. In the 22nd minute, an Apache defender sent a through-ball deep into Crescenta Valley’s corner and an Arcadia midfielder crossed the ball back into the middle. An Apache forward got off an uncontested shot, but Woodward made a diving stop.

Despite controlling the ball at midfield for large portions of the games, the Apaches found their best scoring chances to come few and far between. The Falcons’ size and speed advantage coupled with Woodward’s strong play squashed most Arcadia attacks before they fully developed.

“We’re playing too slow right now,” Miles said. “We need to maintain possession when we’re on the attack. Otherwise we’re just giving the ball away.”

The second half was also played evenly, but Crescenta Valley came out as the aggressor.

“We came out with a lot of momentum in the second half,” said Schulz. “We weren’t winning the ball in the first half, but (in the second half) we attacked space and kept pressure on the ball.”

Arcadia nearly tied the game up in the 71st minute when an Apache throw-in led to a flick-on header that rolled just inches wide of the net.

Crescenta Valley improves to 3-0-2 in the Pacific League while Arcadia drops to 3-2-1. Arcadia will travel to Glendale on Friday, while the Falcons will host Burbank.