SOCCER ROUNDUP : Canyon Girls Overwhelm El Modena, 3-0, to Win Another League Title

Determination and hustle were enough to give El Modena a chance to tie Canyon for the Century League girls’ soccer championship. But El Modena’s grit was no match for Canyon’s talent in Friday’s showdown and the Comanches posted a 3-0 victory at Orange High School to win their fourth league title in six years.

El Modena (6-6-6, 4-1-5 in league) has never won a league championship in girls’ soccer and needed a victory to tie Canyon (16-5-2, 8-1-1) for the title. El Modena finishes tied for second with Villa Park.

Goals by Ingrid Anderson, Kim Campbell, and Krista Broughton paced Canyon, the ninth-ranked team in the Southern Section Division 3-A.

Canyon peppered El Modena goalie Amy Moreno with 10 shots in the first half. The Comanches had one goal nullified by an offsides violation and Broughton also misfired on a shot from five yards, chipping the ball over the net.

“I’m proud of this team for not letting down in the first half, even after we missed on some early opportunities,” Canyon Coach John Williams said.

Broughton finally broke through for Canyon seven minutes into the game by chasing down a loose ball and chipping it over Moreno for a 1-0 lead.

“For the first 15 minutes of the game, we weren’t focused,” El Modena Coach Tino Younger said. “There was a sense of urgency early because 95% of these girls have never been in a situation like this . . . where you could win something that really mattered.”

Anderson scored in the 63rd minute, and Campbell scored 10 minutes later for her 46th goal for a secure 3-0 lead. Canyon goalie Tina Thompson recorded her 13th shutout of the year.

“We just wanted to win league,” Williams said. “Anything (after this) is gravy.”