Soccer Recap: Santa Cruz Comes Up Short

Santa Cruz lost against Aptos back in January and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. The Santa Cruz Cardinals lost 9-0 to the Aptos Mariners. While losing is never fun, the Cardinals can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 645th, while the Mariners are ranked 106th).

This is the second loss in a row for Santa Cruz and nudges their season record down to 4-8-3. As for Aptos, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-2-1.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Santa Cruz take on the San Lorenzo Valley at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. San Lorenzo Valley's last three games have been decided by no more than a goal, so don't be surprised if it's a close one. As for Aptos, they will challenge Harbor at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The timing isn't great for Harbor: they have been struggling with seven straight losses at home, while Aptos has snatched up four consecutive wins on the road.