Soccer : Saldana Paces La Habra Past Sunny Hills, 4-1, for 2nd-Place Tie

Ethan Saldana scored two goals and assisted on a third as La Habra High School defeated Sunny Hills, 4-1, Thursday in a Freeway League boys’ soccer match at La Habra.

The victory ties La Habra for second place with Sunny Hills. La Habra (12-5-4 overall, 7-2-1 in league) will go to the Southern Section playoffs as the league’s No. 2 representative and Sunny Hills as No. 3. Troy finished as league champion.

Sunny Hills (7-2-1 in league) took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the second half on a goal by Dave Bachtel.

Two minutes later, Saldana stole a pass at midfield, split the defense, then passed to Sal Maldanado, whose goal tied the score. Saldana scored the first of his second-half goals at the 15-minute mark to give La Habra (12-5-4, 7-2-1) the lead.

David Vallejo scored his 20th goal of the season for La Habra.

In the Garden Grove League:

Bolsa Grande 3, Kennedy 1--Mark Miller scored all three goals as Bolsa Grande dealt host Kennedy its first league loss. Bolsa Grande (10-6-4, 8-3-3) took a 2-0 lead in the first half and extended it to 3-0 early in the second. Gerald Libell scored for Kennedy (15-3-3, 12-1-1). Nacho Yogues had seven saves for Bolsa Grande, which tied Kennedy earlier this season. Jack McConnell had five saves for Kennedy. Bolsa Grande finished second to Kennedy in the league standings.

Pacifica 3, Santiago 1--Mike Wilhite and Kevin Ashworth scored in the first half for host Pacifica (8-5-4, 7-4-3), which finished third in league. Trung Do scored the other Pacific goal and Bob Powell had five saves.

In the Orange League:

Valencia 3, Brea-Olinda 3--Paul Rivera scored twice and John O’Donnell once for host Valencia (10-6-4, 4-0-4). Jason Ochs scored two goals and Matt Swindle one for Brea-Olinda (8-5-7, 3-2-3).

In Pacific Coast League girls’ play:

Laguna Hills 6, Trabuco Hills 0--Lynn Lambert made one save in her fifth shutout of the season for host Laguna Hills. Lindsey Rhebeck, Jenny Cowper, Xanne Brakke, Claudia Smedes, Joanna Noble and Rachael Kozloff all scored for Laguna Hills (16-5-1, 8-0).

Woodbridge 3, Laguna Beach 0--Suzie Baldwin and Tonia Dzurilla scored in the first half for visiting Woodbridge (8-8-2, 4-2-2). Shawn Coleman scored in the second half and Laya Dogmetchi had two saves. Woodbridge finished second behind Laguna Hills.

In the Sea View League:

Corona del Mar 2, University 2--Stacy Petersen and Julie Smith scored second-half goals as host Corona del Mar rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit. The tie gives Corona del Mar the league championship. The Sea Kings (12-5-5, 6-0-4) finished with 16 points in league play. University (6-2-2 in league) finished second with 14 points. Sara Metz and Laura Dyer scored for the Trojans.

In the Sunset League:

Edison 7, Fountain Valley 0--Kendra Whisenand and Kelly Biefield each scored twice as Edison clinched the league title with a victory at Fountain Valley. Edison (16-5-1, 6-2-2) finishes with 14 points, two ahead of Marina and Huntington Beach. Marina will advance to the playoffs as the league’s second-place team. Lanai Ortega, Amy Lund and Allison Gibbs also scored for Edison.

Marina 2, Westminster 0--Julie Muche and Melanie Frakes scored in the second half for visiting Marina (6-6-7, 3-1-6).

Huntington Beach 3, Ocean View 1--Kery Kelter scored twice in the second half as Huntington Beach rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit. Lisa Leiker also scored for Huntington Beach (9-6-3, 5-3-2).