Buena makes Dons pay for slow start

Santa Barbara lost track of Buena standout Riley Ridgik and she made the Dons pay on Thursday.

Ristig scored on a 45-yard shot in the seventh minute to spark the Bulldogs to a 2-0 win in a Channel League girls soccer game.

“I told the girls we had to mark her everywhere on the field,” Santa Barbara coach Brian Lloyd said. “We lost track of her and he hit a 45-yard shot into the upper corner. It wasn’t like a rifle shot, it was a moon shot.”

The Bulldogs scored their second goal in the 35th minute on a penalty kick after the Dons were called for a hand-ball violation in the box.

“We didn’t play very well in the first half. They had the run of play,” Lloyd said. “We played with more energy and spirt in the second half.”

Lloyd praised the play of center-back Kai Miller, central midfielder Dena Slaff and forward Karly Graf.