South Placer Girls Soccer: Golden Eagles defeat Wildcats, Panthers fight to a draw against Placer

The Sierra Foothill League is shaping up to be a battle in the season's second half as the current leaders, Rocklin High, is a game and a half ahead of Oak Ridge High. The Whitney Wildcats and the Del Oro Golden Eagles are tied for third-place after the Lady Eagles won 1-0 at Whitney High last Friday night. Del Oro High did a great job defending and applying pressure in the contest with the lone goal being scored off of a penalty kick by junior Kiana Faucette in the 63rd minute. Faucette also defended well and forced a number of turnovers in the middle of the field. "My teammates were in really good positions to help me press so that I could force them the right way and get easy tackles," Faucette said. Del Oro High finished with eight shots in the game and goalkeeper Gray Willson made two saves. The Lady Wildcats totaled 10 shots with their best chance coming in the 65th minute as junior Lauren Hunter put a free kick on target. "We try to handle the ball right in the attacking third but we sometimes have players that don't pass the ball, which hurts us a little bit," Wildcats coach Ana Jones said. "I know we can take outside shots and we are working on through balls but facing a goalie like her (Willson) is really hard and you have to give her credit. We're going to keep working on attacking and we hope our next game is a win." The Wildcats were 1-4 at the midpoint of league competition last season but fought back to finish in third- place and went on to win the section championship. "We need to work harder than the game before and I think we can turn it around as well this year," Jones said. Whitney High faces Oak Ridge High in El Dorado Hills on Friday night while the Lady Eagles will be home against Rocklin High on Friday. The current league leader, Rocklin High, is 5-1 and is in solid form winning its last three games, including a 2-0 win against Folsom High last Friday night. Seniors Lia Savage and Sara Murphy scored against the Bulldogs and Savage scored twice in a 3-1 win over Whitney High on Jan. 18. Senior Caitlyn Winter scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory against Oak Ridge High on Jan. 13. Junior goalkeeper Shannon Porubski has also played well, totaling 13 saves over the last three games. Rocklin High will travel to Loomis to face Del Oro High on Friday before playing Oak Ridge High at home on Wednesday. Granite Bay High lost two of its last three games and is in danger of missing the section playoffs as it currently sits in fifth-place in the Sierra Foothill League. The Lady Grizzlies lost 2-1 to Oak Ridge High last Friday night before falling 2-0 against Rocklin High on Wednesday night. Senior Sophia Birch scored in both the game against the Trojans last Friday and in a 1-1 draw against Del Oro High on Jan. 18. The Grizzlies travel to face Folsom High on Friday and will play Whitney High away on Wednesday. Capital Valley Conference The Woodcreek Timberwolves continue to lead the Capital Valley Conference despite drawing their first game of the season 1-1 against Inderkum High on Jan. 17. The Lady Timberwolves have only allowed five games all season while scoring 51 in 10 games. Senior Lexi Schroeder continues to lead the way with 14 goals while Mia McSweeney has nine goals and four assists. "We are really well organized in the back and we play with a lot of grit," McSweeney said. "Our defense has really good chemistry and we also communicate a lot, which helps a ton. We just need to stick to playing our style of soccer and do what works for us." Woodcreek High defeated Antelope High 4-0 on Tuesday and will face River Valley at home on Friday night. Roseville High is currently battling to finish in the top three in the Capital Valley Conference to qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. The Lady Tigers are currently 4-2-3, following a 1-1 draw against Yuba City High last Friday night. Prior to the draw, the Tigers won two games against Antelope and River Valley. They are right behind the Bella Vista Broncos, who are 4-2-2, and the Inderkum Tigers at 4-1-2. Roseville High will face Inderkum High at home on Tuesday before closing out the regular season next Friday at Woodcreek High. Foothill Valley League West Park High has yet to lose a game in the Foothill Valley League but is currently third as it has drawn the last three games against Ponderosa, Placer and a 2-2 draw against the Lincoln High Fighting Zebras on Monday night. Senior Erica Grilione scored both goals against the Zebras, including a deep shot outside of the box. Last Friday, the Panthers drew 5-5 against Placer High as freshman Hayley Doughty accounted for all five goals. Doughty finished with a hat trick and two assists. The Lady Panthers play Nevada Union High at home on Monday before traveling to Ponderosa High on Wednesday night. The Oakmont Vikings are currently fourth in the Foothill Valley League at 2-3, following a 3-0 loss against Placer High on Monday night. In their prior two contests, the Lady Vikings defeated the Zebras on Jan. 18 and Nevada Union last Friday when Oakmont High scored three goals all in the second half. The Vikings will now prepare for Ponderosa High at home on Monday night.