Valencia, No Doubt About It, 4-1

Valencia High answered any doubters Wednesday with a 4-1 pounding of Canyon in a Foothill League girls’ soccer opener, snapping the Cowboys’ unbeaten streak at 15 games.

The Vikings (13-1-1) remained humble after knocking off the Cowboys (12-1-3), viewed as a preseason favorite to win the league.

“We don’t expect to just go out there and win,” said defender Michelle Bontempi of Valencia. “It’s possible for us to lose to anyone.

“We just want to play our hardest and win. I think every game we win it gives us more confidence. We think of ourselves as a good team, but we know every game we have to come out and work just as hard.”

Valencia played like a great team against Canyon, holding the Cowboys to three shots, taking 13 shots and dictating the flow of play.

Christina Farschian of Valencia ripped a shot from 20 yards that deflected off the crossbar and hit the back of goalkeeper Lyndsay Taylor before falling into the goal and tying the score, 1-1, in the 30th minute.

Less than a minute later, the referee awarded the Vikings a penalty kick after defender Ashley Tondreau of Canyon and midfielder Shari Summers of Valencia collided in the penalty box.

Bontempi converted for a 2-1 lead.

“It was probably a foul, but it could have gone either way,” Summers said. “We both went in really hard and we both went down.”

With the Cowboysstruggling, Valencia scored again to take a 3-1 lead on Summers’ header after a throw-in from Danielle Malkowski in the 51st minute.

Leah Shelton scored after a corner kick in the 55th minute. Summers passed the corner to Kim Wood, who let the ball run through her legs to Shelton for a shot Taylor had no chance to stop.

Canyon’s best offensive sequence caught the Vikings off guard one minute into play when Lauren Abrams got behind Valencia’s defense and beat goalkeeper Jaisa Creps.

“I didn’t even see the first goal,” Coach Tony Scalercio said. “I had my pants down. I was putting my sweatpants on.

“I kept telling the girls to stick to the game plan. When they got scored on early I didn’t want them to unravel.”