Ball bounces Turlock soccer’s way

It was the kind of game that was going to be decided by a moment of individual brilliance or a fluke.

The Turlock High School girls soccer team benefited from the fluke Tuesday night.

After 67 minutes of a defensive battle between two of the Central California Conference’s top teams, senior Ashlen Kuntz scored on a harmless-looking header to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 victory over host Golden Valley.

Kiana Mavis one-timed a failed Cougars clearance back toward the top of the 18-yard box from the right wing. Kuntz shielded off her defender just inside the 18 and flicked a soft header on net. Golden Valley goalkeeper Marina Arroyo (six saves) was in position for a save, but the ball changed direction when it hit the Veterans Field turf, spinning into the corner of the net.

“It’s just one of those soccer bounces,” Cougars coach Lance Eber said. “The ball had backspin coming off of her head and just bounced away from Marina. Zero-zero would have been a fair result tonight, but crazy things happen in soccer.”

The defensive standoff wasn’t expected as both teams looked to keep pace with first-place Merced. Throw in strong winds gusting toward the south goal, and the formula for scoring appeared to be there.

Neither team took advantage of the wind, however. Golden Valley (8-5-1, 4-3-1 CCC) produced only four shots in the opening half. Turlock (7-3-2, 6-1-1) mustered the same number in the second half.

“We needed to shoot more when we had the wind,” Cougars outside back Danielle Vigil said. “All of us are right there in the standings, and I think we came out conservative, trying to make sure we got at least a draw.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 11:36 PM with the headline "Ball bounces Turlock soccer’s way."