Yucaipa wins a wet one against REV...
In a season-opening battle of Citrus Belt League heavyweights, the Yucaipa High School girls' soccer team took a 3-0 victory over Redlands East Valley in a muddy and rainy affair on Friday at REV.
Most of the match was played in rain and the REV field was filled with puddles and was just muddy all around. The decision to play the match was made by 12 p.m. - predictably the rain came after the decision was made.
But the Thunderbirds made the most of the opportunity, scoring two first half goals and adding a third late in the second half.
Junior forward Braelyn Tirella came through with two clutch goals for the T-Birds, running down two balls for scores. Her first goal came after a Yucaipa player took a shot that got trapped in the mud; Tirella ran down the ball and put the ball in the net. Tirella also ran down another shot that was seemingly about to fall short of the goal, yet a light tap by Tirella gave the T-Birds a decisive 3-0 advantage.
Shortly after the match, the Thunderbirds celebrated like they had just won a playoff match. But it was understandable - the Wildcats are the reigning CBL champs and most know that a league title will likely have to go through then.
"They have a target on their backs," noted Yucaipa head coach Sheila Huggins, who noted that she wanted to play the game because her team played in the rain last week and were prepared for the conditions.
REV head coach Cristina Ballard said the loss will serve as a learning experience for a Wildcat team that's still getting things figured out.
The Wildcats will resume CBL play on Wednesday at Eisenhower.