Aptos High junior Alexa Castañeda had four assists and one goal in the Mariners’ win over San Lorenzo Valley High in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League girls soccer action Thursday.
Fellow teammate sophomore Isabella Hartnett had a pair of goals, and freshman Gigi Zuñiga had one goal and one assist. With the win, Aptos improved to 2-0 and is currently tied with Soquel High atop of the league standings.
Jordan Brown had one assist and one goal, while Aubrie Ford, Scarlet Stateler and Emily Santiago each had one goal for the Mariners.
“We just have some amazing players that have the natural ability to find the back of the net. It’s our key factor to success right now,” Aptos coach Gina Castañeda said. “However, teams have caught on and defended that but we’re such a threat that it really is the collaboration of the entire squad.”
Aptos recorded its fifth shutout of the season following a 6-0 win over Scotts Valley High in the teams’ SCCAL opener Tuesday.
“Our defense has been a cornerstone of our success,” Gina Castañeda said. “We have so many players from the defense in the middle and the forward that they’re just strong and fast.”
Hartnett notched three goals, while Emma Ingram, Anahi Macias and Alexa Castañeda each had one goal for Aptos.
Zuñiga had two assists and Bella Doolittle was credited with one. Goalkeeper Evelyn Pini tallied four saves for Aptos (7-2, 2-0), which hosts Soquel on Jan. 21 at 7pm.
“Our team’s dedication and hard work from the offense to the defense has made this a very special team for me to coach,” Gina Castañeda said. “They’re just pushing the boundaries of what they can achieve this season.”
Pajaro Valley 3, at Pacific Collegiate 2: Scarlet Gomez had the game-winning goal in the Grizzlies’ win over the Pumas in Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division action Thursday.
Valera Acosta had two goals and one assist and Leslie Carrisoza was credited with one assist for Pajaro Valley, which has won 12 straight and is off to a 5-0 start in league play.
The Grizzlies scored twice in the first 20 minutes and PCS scored twice just before halftime. With the score tied at 2-all nearly the entire second half, Gomez punched in the go-ahead score in the 75th minute.
Pajaro Valley (13-1, 5-0) plays at North Salinas on Jan. 24 at 3:30pm.
At Pajaro Valley 4, Carmel 1: Valeria Acosta had three goals and Leilani Vazquez added one score in the Grizzlies’ victory over the Padres in PCAL Mission Division play Tuesday.
Vazquez, Scarlet Gomez and Jocelyn Orozco each had one assist, while goalkeeper Kendra Rivas had three saves for Pajaro Valley.
At St. Francis 4, Marina 1: Peyton Orradre notched a pair of goals for the Sharks in their win against the Mariners in PCAL Santa Lucia Division action Wednesday.
Fellow teammate Miriam Abonce had one goal and two assists, and Aubrey Nualart added one goal. Ella Dewig and Alyssandra Peterson each had one assist, while goalkeeper Madison Silva recorded seven saves for St. Francis.
The Sharks (4-1-1, 2-0) play at Anzar on Friday at 3:30pm.
Soquel 3, at San Lorenzo Valley 1: Jessica Stoleting had one goal in the Cougars’ loss to the Knights in SCCAL play Tuesday. Goalkeeper Cheyenne Casey had 10 saves for SLV (1-6, 0-2), which plays at Harbor (0-8, 0-2) on Jan. 21 at 7pm.
Boys soccer
Aptos 3, at San Lorenzo Valley 0: Josiah Siqueiros, Ivan Zavala and Ricardo Ortiz each had one goal in the Mariners’ win over the Cougars in the teams’ SCCAL-opener Wednesday.
Nicolas Topete and Nami Banks were each credited with one assist.
“I want to commend our back line for holding strong throughout the game,” Aptos head coach Roberto Zuñiga said. “Our midfielder Nami Banks’ offensive and defensive performance has made his presence known. We are looking forward to continuing to improve on our offensive power and continuing a strong season.”
Goalkeeper Hebert Santiago had three saves for Aptos (6-3-1, 1-0), which plays at Soquel on Friday at 7pm.
Boys basketball
At St. Francis 93, Greenfield 83: Senior Nash Horton recorded a double-double with 29 points and 13 rebounds along with six assists and four steals in the Sharks’ win against the Bruins in PCAL Cypress Division action Thursday.
Junior Robert Gomez Jr. added 26 points, four steals and a pair of rebounds, while teammate freshman Isaiah Villalobos had 22 points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
Junior Jacob Jimenez contributed 12 points and eight rebounds for St. Francis (14-3, 5-0), which plays at Pacific Collegiate (2-8, 0-4) on Jan. 24 at 7pm.
St. Francis 60, at Gonzales 50: Freshman Isaiah Villalobos had a team-best 18 points along with four assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds in the Sharks’ victory over the Spartans in PCAL Cypress Division action Tuesday night.
Teammate senior Nash Horton had 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals, while junior Robert Gomez Jr. added 17 points and four rebounds.
Senior Mason Borrego had 11 rebounds and junior Jacob Jimenez added six points and four rebounds for the Sharks.
Girls basketball
Scotts Valley 46, at Aptos 28: Hanna Shehorn scored a game-best 18 points in the Falcons’ win over the Mariners in the teams’ SCCAL-opener Tuesday night. Scotts Valley pulled away in the second quarter after they went on a 16-5 run.
Aptos put together a strong second half behind senior guard Berkeley Ashby, who finished with seven points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Sophomore Eliya Chavez had six points and three blocks for the Mariners (8-7, 0-1), who plays at San Lorenzo High (8-6, 0-1) on Friday at 5:30pm. Scotts Valley (11-2, 1-0) hosts Harbor (1-9, 0-1) on Friday at 6pm.
Soquel 34, at San Lorenzo Valley 27: Poppy Owens had 11 points in the Cougars’ loss to the Knights in SCCAL action Tuesday. Fellow teammate Taylor Dunn contributed six points and Violet Derr added five for SLV (8-6, 0-1), which hosts Aptos (8-7, 0-1) on Friday at 5:30pm.
