Central opens winter season with dominant 5-0 win over Holtville

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) - The Central Spartans kicked off their winter soccer season in commanding fashion Tuesday night, rolling to a 5-0 shutout victory over the Holtville Vikings.

Holtville entered the matchup coming off a strong 2024-25 campaign, finishing first in the Citrus League with a 9-1 record. Central, last year's runner-up in the Imperial Valley League, showed early that they're determined to climb even higher this season.

Up 3-0 in the second half, Central continued to pressure. Holtville's Kayleigh Garcia fired a shot from just outside the box, but Spartans goalkeeper Paula Lopez read it perfectly, one of several timely saves that kept the Vikings scoreless all night.

Holtville goalkeeper Genevieve Torres, who had a shaky first half, settled in after the break and held Central to just two second-half goals.

Central’s clean execution was on full display during one of their second-half strikes. Alexa Ruiz slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the box for Elyssa Ochoa, who quickly laid it off to Isabel Pacheco. Pacheco buried the chance with her left foot, extending Central’s lead to 4-0.

Holtville tried to build momentum late, but the Spartans' back line held firm. A standout defensive moment came from Camila Mendez, who cleared a dangerous Vikings attack to preserve the shutout.

Lopez continued anchoring the defense down the stretch, staying in the right place at the right time to turn away Holtville's final attempts. Her steady presence helped secure the clean sheet as Central closed out a convincing season-opening win.

With the 5-0 victory, Central improves to 1-0 to begin the winter season. Holtville drops to 0-1 as they regroup for their next Citrus League matchup.