Crescenta Valley girls’ soccer’s title hopes shot down by Arcadia

LA CRESCENTA — Aspirations of winning a Pacific League championship were dimmed rather quickly for the Crescenta Valley High girls’ soccer team on Thursday.

Tied with archrival Arcadia atop the league standings with a title going to the winner, the Falcons found themselves down two goals after just the first 10 minutes of play.

The remaining 70 minutes were scoreless, but the damage had been done and a fifth straight league championship was had by Arcadia, which defeated the host Falcons, 2-0.

“We told [our players] to be ready, but it’s hard to prepare somebody to be mentally ready for that,” said Falcons Coach Tyraysha Peterson of the energy showcased by the Apaches in the early going. “They were out for blood.”

Crescenta Valley (12-6, 12-2 in league) was searching for its first league title since 2012, when it shared the crown with Arcadia, which began its run of titles.

Previously, the Falcons had ended the Apaches’ 43-game league winning streak with a 2-1 win at Arcadia on Jan. 22. Having suffered its first league loss since January of 2013 and its first to Crescenta Valley since February of 2012, Arcadia (16-3, 13-1) was noticeably energized from the onset.

“They didn’t want to lose their string of championships – plain and simple,” said Apaches Coach Ryen Piszyk, whose team is ranked fifth in CIF Southern Section Division IV. “[The Apaches] didn’t play horribly in the first game, but [the Falcons] finished their two chances and we only finished one.”

In the first meeting, each team scored on penalty kicks before the game-winner by Brianna McReynolds. But this time around, the Apaches’ offense was relentless and their defense was stupendous, equating to final numbers of a 23-7 shot discrepancy in favor of the victors.

In the fifth minute, Cammie Dopke showcased some phenomenal footwork as she juked through traffic in the middle of the box while working right before shooting left for a 1-0 lead. Less than five minutes later in the 10th minute, Hannah Mushinsky scored on a high shot from roughly 20 yards out.

One constant in both matches was the outstanding play in net by Falcons goalkeeper Nicole Jabourian, who tallied nine saves on Thursday and was instrumental in Crescenta Valley’s win over Arcadia previously.

“Their goalie was phenomenal and that’s what happened the first time,” Piszyk said. “We had two great chances that we finished and I don’t think that either one was savable.”

Unfortunately for the Falcons, who mustered but three first-half shots, they really only had one good chance in the opening half. It came from an opportunistic McReynolds, who stole possession deep in the Apaches’ end and got a step on her defender.

As she raced to the goal, the Arcadia netminder came out and a forced shot by McReynolds that went just left of frame.

For the most part, the Apaches’ speed gave the Falcons fits on defense and also prohibited Crescenta Valley’s offense from stringing together any passes, as it was forced to play long ball, which was also to its detriment as Arcadia, which has won six straight in league since its 43-game run was halted, owned a size advantage and won the majority of the balls in the air.

“You break a record like that, they’re gonna take it personally and they’re a good team, too, there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Peterson said.

Looking for a second-half score to get back into the match, Crescenta Valley could nary find a shot.

Of its three second-half shots, its two best both came from Rachel Bird past the midway mark of the stanza as she sent a beautiful free kick on frame with just more than 12 minutes left that was saved off the crossbar and then sent another free kick, this one from 43 yards away, on net that was easily saved.

“There was no lack of energy from us,” Peterson said. “When Rachel hit that one off the crossbar, I just said, ‘When it’s not your day, it’s not your day.’”

The Falcons, who finished second in league, will live to play another day as they head into the CIF Southern Section playoffs, with pairings announced Monday.

“There’s a great energy and chemistry on this team that I think can carry us,” Peterson said. “We just have to refocus.”