The Central Union High girls’ soccer team continued its Imperial Valley League-leading play with a resounding 5-1 victory over Holtville High here Tuesday night at Cal Jones Field.
Central’s win owed very much to the talented play of sophomore Baylee Vincent, who notched a quadruple by scoring the first four goals of the game.
“It felt good,” Vincent said. “We all worked as a team and all that counts to me.
“I think we need to work on passing more through the middle, but I’m happy with how we played,” she said.
The 15-year-old began the game by taking a pass from senior Samantha Alvarado across the middle and heading it in, putting the Spartans up 1-0 just 30 seconds into the match.
Holtville junior Karen Ponce did an excellent job of defending up the middle during the first half, breaking up many Central attacks.
But all Vincent needed to move the ball was some space on the outside, where she attacked from late in the first half.
Vincent moved the ball to junior Dana McClurg and then received it back for a quick shot in and a 2-0 halftime lead for Central.
The second half began with a hat trick for the leading Spartan player, with Vincent striking one in solo five minutes into the period.
Sophomore Tory Anderson nearly had a goal for the Vikings just a few minutes later when she lined up for a penalty kick, but sophomore Central goalie Solei Hernandez made an excellent diving save to deny the visiting goal.
Vincent completed her scoring barrage later in the match, soloing an angled shot off the far side-post to make it a 4-0 game.
Her goal sparked a mini-flurry of scoring on both sides, with Anderson smartly lobbing a shot over Hernandez to put the Vikings on the board less than a minute later.
Central sophomore Karen Zavala then struck back, also less than a minute later, with quick dribbling of the ball before sailing it in to secure the 5-1 victory.
“I feel very proud of my team,” Central coach Ramon Lopez said. “We did really well and we have to thank God that we could finish with everyone healthy.
“We need to take it one game at a time,” he said. “We’re just glad for the victory.”
It was the first league loss for the Vikings, who have already surprised Calexico and Southwest this season.
“This was a really tough game,” Holtville coach Chad Van Acker said. “We expected Central to be tough, and we weren’t disappointed.
“They played a really great game with really great speed, so my hat’s off to their coach,” he said. “But in my opinion, our girls played their best game of the season.”
Central (6-1-2, 2-0 IVL) will visit Brawley Union High on Friday, while Holtville (8-5, 2-1 IVL) takes a 10-day break, returning Jan. 18 to host Imperial High. Both games are scheduled for 6 p.m.
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