Demons pay back Trojans

WASHINGTON — A 1-0 loss to Highway 1 rival Fairfield last month was enough motivation to push the Washington girls soccer team on Monday, when the Demons hosted the Trojans in a Southeast Conference battle.

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The Demons flipped the script on the Trojans, winning 4-1 to even up the season series at one game apiece.

“I thought the girls responded well to that first game,” said Washington head coach Mason Quigley. “I know they kind of had that one circled on their calendar.”

Washington scored the first two goals of the game. Aimee Rangel put one into the net off a rebound in the first seven minutes, and Ana Mata scored on a penalty kick with just 47 seconds showing on the clock.

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“I think it was really the communication, understanding where we’re at and keeping the pressure on,” said Mata. “We did lose to them last time, so we had to keep the pressure going.”

Down 2-0 with 24:35 remaining in the game, Fairfield was able to cut the Washington lead in half when Lexi Mast launched a shot into the upper-half of the Demon goal. The Trojans looked to be in business, one goal away from tying things up.

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Washington’s Maya Murphy slipped through a pair of Trojan defenders and sent in a dagger with 19 minutes left to bring the lead to 3-1. Then, with just over four minutes to play, Nelly Cuevas finished it off with one more score.

Washington’s Aleigha Medley and Katherine Flannery split time in net. Medley made one save and didn’t allow any goals. Flannery had three saves, but let one goal in.

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“It’s a very young team,” said Fairfield head coach Alex Cardenas after the loss. “It’s one of those things where it’s kind of trial and error at this point right now.”

Washington is now 6-5 overall and 3-4 in SEC play. Fairfield sits at 3-8 on the year, and 1-7 in league play.