La Cañada Flintridge — Amethyst Trang’s playmaking skills and hustle provided Flintridge Sacred Heart with a huge boost on Monday during a nonleague road match against rival La Cañada.
Trang finished with two goals and one assist to spur Flintridge Sacred Heart to a convincing 5-0 victory.
“We have a lot of new players, so right now we are trying to find a rhythm,” said Trang, a junior midfielder who picked up All-Area recognition last season. “I know I have to go out there and try to make things happen each game.
“We were able to stay one step ahead today and there’s always something you can learn each game. You try to be up for all of the challenges.”
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Flintridge Sacred Heart’s goalie Giulia Cascapera gets ahold of the ball off of a La Cañada corner kick with La Canada’s Gianna Mor trying to head the ball in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Kallie Rushing and Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Marissa Venneri battle for the head ball in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Cecily Lowe and Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Fiona Stayton battle to get to goal kick in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Mia LeClerc and Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Jillian Willis fall to the ground in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Jillian Willis and Grace Lawlor congratulate teammate Amethyst Trang after scoring the first goal of the game off of a direct kick in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s goalie Ashley Messier dives but misses a direct kick taken by Flintridge Sacred Heart in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Charlotte Tapp loses the ball to the defense of Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Fiona Stayton in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Ella Romero gets her foot on the ball in front of Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Emily Gomez before she gets there in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Jillian Willis and La Canada’s Julia Paccone run fast as it is being dribbled up field in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Emily Gomez congratulates Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Amethyst Trang after scoring against La Cañada in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Lauren Bolte just gets a shot off that La Canada’s goalie Celine Cano-Ruiz in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Cecily Lowe elevates for a head ball against Flintridge Sacred Heart in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s goalie Ashley Messier makes a stop against Flintridge Sacred Heart in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Elizabeth Dick and Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Nia Harris battle for the ball in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Amethyst Trang takes a shot and scores against La Cañada in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Julia Paccone looks to pass with Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Emily Gomez approaching fast on defense in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Sophie Saldivar just has to tap the ball into the net off of a corner kick that bounced around in the La Cañada goal area for a few seconds before being kicked into the net in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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La Canada’s Ella Romero gets control of the bouncing ball in front of Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Fiona Stayton in a non-league girls’ soccer game at La Cañada High School on Monday, January 9, 2017. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
Trang got things going for the Tologs (6-1-1) in the first half. She curled a 25-yard shot off a direct kick inside the left post to give Flintridge Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
Trang then made a short pass to Emily Gomez, who scored to extend the Tologs’ lead to 2-0 in the 28th minute. The Tologs didn’t yield a shot on goal in the first half.
“We hadn’t played in almost a week, so were a little bit rusty,” Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Mark Snashall said. “It was big to get those first two goals.
“Our players get up for playing La Cañada. It doesn’t really take that much to wind them up. We were ready to play and got better after we shook off the rust.”
Flintridge Sacred Heart continued its torrid pace in the second half, getting two goals in the first five minutes.
Sophia Saldivar gave Flintridge Sacred Heart a 3-0 lead in the 41st minute after pouncing on a rebound of a shot by Hillary Howard that hit the right post.
Trang made it 4-0 off a nice assist from Jillian Willis in the 45th minute.
Flintridge Sacred Heart completed the scoring in the 72nd minute on a goal by Krista Celo.
Flintridge Sacred Heart’s defensive unit of Kamela Stewart, Fiona Stayton, Campbell Green and Nia Harris limited La Cañada (3-9-1) to two shots on goal. Flintridge Sacred Heart goalkeeper Giulia Cascapera made a diving save on a 25-yard shot by Ella Romero.
La Cañada first-year Coach Kevin Neumeier said the Spartans were also sluggish after last playing Dec. 22.
“I gave them almost three weeks off and today was the first time I’d seen them since we played our last game,” Neumeier said. “I treat nonleague games as a way to get us prepared for league because the ultimate goal is being ready for league.”
