Girls Soccer: Apple Valley tops Oak Hills, closes in on the Mojave River League title
Apple Valley forward Jadyn Bechtel has burst onto the soccer scene in the High Desert as a freshman in a big way.
Bechtel leads the Mojave River League in goals and is only behind Granite Hills’ Lianna Tsabur in the entire High Desert in that category.
After scoring 12 goals in nine non-league games, Bechtel has lit up the scoreboard in MRL games with eight goals in five games.
In what might shape up as the biggest matchup of the season in the MRL, Bechtel scored the lone goal against Oak Hills on Friday night to give Apple Valley a 1-0 victory.
“She is definitely a force to be reckoned with out there. She’s constantly creating plays, creating her own opportunities, beating defenders, and getting good quality shots on goal and so she’s been a really big asset to our team this year and we’re really lucky to have her,” Apple Valley head coach Nicole Stephens said about Bechtel.
The Sun Devils (13-1-3, 6-0 MRL) controlled possession throughout the game, much as they did in their previous matchup against Oak Hills earlier in the month. Bechtel’s goal came with just minutes to go in the first half.
A deflection led the ball right to Bechtel about ten yards away from the edge of the box. With about three or more defenders around her, Bechtel somehow got enough space away from all of them to take a shot right outside the box and past the goalkeeper for a goal.
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“I just put my focus in it, shut everything out, and just take it. I did my little moves and took my shot,” Bechtel said.
Oak Hills had some opportunities to score throughout the match but they were few and far between. Adding to the difficulties of trying to win back possession from Apple Valley was Oak Hills defender Mikaela Maldonado getting sent off in the second half with a red after receiving her second yellow card.
Bechtel believes that Apple Valley left points on the board after Maldonado’s dismissal.
“We definitely should have been up 5-0,” Bechtel said.
What it means
Both teams viewed this game as a must-win game. Oak Hills had already lost to the Sun Devils 2-0 and needed a favorable result against them Friday night in hopes of claiming the MRL title.
Apple Valley still has some tough matchups ahead on the schedule but beating Oak Hills twice opens the door for a perfect season. Stephens said that is the expectation for this team going forward.
Barring an upset, Oak Hills figures to be battling with Serrano and Sultana for second place in the standings.
Both teams are back in action Wednesday. Oak Hills (10-4-8, 4-2 MRL) heads to Sultana, while Apple Valley remains home against Serrano.
Game ball
While Bechtel’s goal was the deciding factor, she made a few passes earlier in the first half to set up goal-scoring opportunities for other teammates. But Apple Valley’s best chance of the night came when Bechtel shot on her own.
They said it
Stephens on what this victory means for the rest of the season: “We knew this was a must-win for us today. Oak is a great team and we knew going into the rest of the season we didn’t want to be tied with them. It puts us in a really good spot for the playoffs.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Girls Soccer: Apple Valley closes in on the Mojave River League title
