Spangler Lifts Westlake to 1-1 Tie With Simi Valley

Tasha Spangler scored off a corner kick by Patti Hosten 14 minutes into the second half Friday and the Westlake High girls’ soccer team rallied to post a 1-1 tie with Simi Valley in a showdown of the Marmonte League’s top two teams at Westlake.

Simi Valley (15-5, 11-1 in league play), the defending league champion, remains in first place, 1 1/2 games ahead of Westlake (14-3-2, 8-1-2).

Thousand Oaks is in third place, Royal in fourth and Agoura in fifth. The top three teams at the season’s conclusion on Feb. 6 earn automatic Southern Section playoff berths.

Simi Valley took a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute on Alexandria Ingraham’s fourth goal. But after being outplayed in the first half, Westlake made adjustments and gained momentum in the final 40 minutes.

“We were on their side of the field most of the second half,” Westlake Coach Tahn Hyun said. “They played in the air in the first half but we regrouped and began to play more physically and on the ground.”

In other girls’ games:

Royal 2, Agoura 1--Camille Butcher and Amy Ortega scored off assists from Kellie Lyons to stake the Highlanders (12-9-1, 7-4) to a 2-0 lead early in the first half of a Marmonte League victory at Agoura (14-7-2, 6-5-1).

Thousand Oaks 3, Camarillo 2--Goals by Lauren Mercaldo, Meryl Connor and Susan Shivokevich allowed the Lancers (10-6-2, 7-3-2) to rally from a 2-0 first-half deficit in a Marmonte League game at Thousand Oaks.

Hart 2, Saugus 0--Erin Misaki scored her 12th goal off a cross from Allie Pavoni in the 15th minute. Pavoni also scored for the Indians (15-2-3, 5-0-1) in the Foothill League game at Saugus.

La Reina 3, Bishop Diego 0--Aimee Thompson scored her 26th goal, her sister Monica Thompson scored her 18th and Tia Rose McEvers scored her first for the Regents (13-3, 5-1) in a Tri-Valley victory at Wildflower Park in Thousand Oaks.

Burbank 1, Burroughs 0--Molly Raine scored in the 27th minute off a corner kick by Jen Shaw in a Foothill League game at Burbank (9-8-1, 1-4-1).

Burroughs (6-9-1, 0-5-1) remained winless in league play.

Chatsworth 5, Grant 0--Jackie Fodor scored three goals to spark a four-goal second half for Chatsworth (17-1-1, 6-0) in a Coast/Valley League game at Grant (3-12-2, 0-5).

BOYS

El Camino Real 1, Chatsworth 1--After being outshot, 6-2, and surrendering a first-half goal, El Camino Real (11-4-2, 8-1-2) used a Sean Miller goal in the 59th minute to forge a tie in the Northwest Valley Conference game at Chatsworth.

Chatsworth (6-1-6, 3-1-6) scored in the 18th minute when Abdulah Safdari’s cross caromed off the hands of goalkeeper Karl Mayr and was headed in by John Chavez.

The Conquistadores’ equalizer came when Kellen McLaughlin chipped an indirect kick from inside the edge of the penalty area to the far post, where Miller leaped and headed it in.

Safdari said the Chancellors have grown weary of frittering away leads.

“We had [three-time defending conference champion] Birmingham down 2-0 at halftime and tied them too,” he said. “We go up almost every game and then in the second half we have no stamina. A lot of guys aren’t in shape.”

Birmingham 1, San Fernando 0--Erick Reyes scored in the 50th minute to lift the Braves (9-1-3, 6-1-3) to a Northwest Valley Conference victory at San Fernando.

Thousand Oaks 1, Camarillo 1--Nathan Chu scored with five minutes remaining and the Lancers (13-3-4, 9-1-2) clinched at least a share of their first Marmonte League title at third-place Camarillo (8-6-4, 5-4-2).

Royal 2, Agoura 0--Jake Van Sloten and Dan Wilson scored for the second-place Highlanders (16-6-3, 6-3-2) in a Marmonte League game at Royal.

Hart 2, Saugus 1--Chris James converted a penalty kick midway through the second half to give the Indians (6-8-3, 3-1-2) the Foothill League victory over the Centurions (7-9-3, 1-4-1) at Hart.

Burroughs 2, Burbank 0--Gary Guenther scored in the 54th minute and Miguel Meneses converted on a breakaway with a minute to play for the Indians (12-2-5, 4-1-1) in a Foothill League game at Burroughs.

St. Francis 2, Loyola 1--Anthony Zoric knocked a 25-yard free kick off the goalkeeper’s hand and into the upper corner of the net to give the Golden Knights (10-7-1, 3-3-1) a Mission League upset of the visiting Cubs (19-2, 6-1).

Trevor Mutch gave Loyola a 1-0 halftime lead before being ejected. Mike Brewer tied the score midway through the second half.

Palmdale 3, Lancaster 0--Eric Villalobos scored his 10th goal in the first half and Kim Britton and Albert Zamora scored in the second for the Golden League-leading Falcons (14-6-1, 5-0-1) at Lancaster (9-7-2, 3-1-2).

Britton, last season’s league player of the year, has 11 goals for Palmdale, the two-time defending league champion.

Moorpark 5, Malibu 0--Zack Green scored his ninth and 10th goals in the last seven games for the Musketeers (12-5-4, 7-0) in a Frontier League victory over the Sharks (6-8-2, 1-5-1) at Malibu.