Crescenta Valley girls soccer falls short in quest for league title
Despite having no seniors, the Crescenta Valley High girls’ soccer team found itself on the cusp of winning a share of the Pacific League title Thursday.
The surprising Falcons relied on a dominant core of sophomores and a stingy defense to put themselves in position to contend for the league championship.
Crescenta Valley needed a victory over rival and defending league champion Arcadia on Thursday to have a shot at winning league for the first time since 2011. Crescenta Valley came into the contest tied with Burroughs for first place with 33 points.
Unfortunately for Crescenta Valley, its attempt to capture league was foiled following a 0-0 road tie with Arcadia, which, along with a 5-1 win for Burroughs against rival Burbank, give the title to the Indians.
Crescenta Valley finished 14-4-4, 11-1-2 in league for 35 points. Burroughs went 15-3-2, 12-1-1 for 37 points and won a league crown for the first time since 1993.
“We played a great game, both teams did,” Crescenta Valley coach Tyraysha Peterson said. “It was definitely a phenomenal game.
“We had several chances in the second half, including a shot that hit the crossbar. We’ve come a long way for a young team.”
Crescenta Valley’s Lindsey Furstenberg hit the crossbar on a free kick. Later in the half, Chloe Ataya of Crescenta Valley had a close-up shot turned away by the Arcadia goalkeeper.
Crescenta Valley goalkeeper Audrey Brown made several quality saves to give the Falcons an opportunity to win.
“We were able to go out there and fight the whole way,” said Peterson, whose team earned a 2-1 home win against Arcadia on Jan. 11. “That was a classic CV-Arcadia game.”
Arcadia went 10-8-3, 9-3-2 in league for third place with 29 points.
Crescenta Valley will now shift its attention to the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs. The playoff pairings will be announced Saturday.
“You can always take a positive from something,” Peterson said. “We now have more experience under our belts.
“We feel energetic about the possibilities in being a part of the playoffs.”
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
