Valley has been away from home for four games now, but on Saturday they'll finally make their return. They will host the West Mesa Mustangs at 9:00 a.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Valley headed into their last contest having not scored more than one goal for three straight, but Belen let them put that streak behind them. Valley blew past Belen 4-1 on Thursday. With the Vikings ahead 3-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Valley used a slightly different lineup for their bout with Belen. Three players got more time on the pitch than they're used to: Walter Bradford (80), Ruben Gonzales (80), and Ellis Ouellett (45). The trio had averaged 56.2, 45.5, and 24.2 minutes respectively before Thursday's match. The pair took full advantage of the opportunity: Bradford put up an assist, while he scored a goal and an assist.
Meanwhile, West Mesa didn't have done well against Highland recently (they were 1-7-1 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. West Mesa's defense stepped up to hand Highland a 1-0 shutout. The Mustangs wouldn't have won without Steven Huanosta, who scored the game-winner.
Valley's victory ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-8. As for West Mesa, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Everything went Valley's way against West Mesa in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 as Valley made off with a 6-3 victory. Will Valley repeat their success, or does West Mesa have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
