WILLIAMS, CA (MPG) – A cool, crisp afternoon at McCarl Field last Thursday was the backdrop for a competitive doubleheader of Sacramento Valley League soccer as the hometown Yellowjackets played county rival Pierce to a 1-1 draw in both the girl’s and boy’s matches.
In the early game, both girls’ squads were coming off shutout losses on Jan. 20, as Williams (1-4-2, 0-1-1) had fallen 0-1 to Colusa, while the Bears (4-6-1, 1-2-1) succumbed to Winters.
With each looking to bounce back, Pierce’s Sophia Oliveros put the Bears on top early with her fifth goal of the season, but not to be outdone, the scrappy ‘Jackets got the equalizer from Daisy Ruiz.
Coming out in the second half, although both teams had chances to take the lead, the ball didn’t bounce the right way and thus the match ended in the draw.
Following the girls’ match, the two boys’ squads who had yet to lose in SVL play, faced off
with Williams surging ahead after a breakaway goal by Jose Padilla, who had slipped past the Pierce defender and blocked the attempt to clear the ball by Bear goalkeeper Alejandro Alcaraz.
However, Pierce, which had out-shot the Yellowjackets in the first half, pulled even after Luis Salud found the back of the net.
Earlier last week, Williams (4-1-3, 1-0-2) downed Colusa 2-0 with goals coming from Julian Garcia-Arambula and Brian Jimenez, who were subsequently assisted by Octavio Parra and Max Garcia.
Pierce (8-1-2, 2-0-2) had also notched victory two days prior when it edged Winters 2-1.
Francisco Ruiz and Juan Mondragon each scored, while Alcaraz made nine saves.
All four teams were in action this week with the Yellowjackets hosting Winters on Jan. 27, while Pierce was in Willows on Jan. 29.