Santa Barbara High announced itself as a Channel League favorite with an 8-5 victory over defending champion Dos Pueblos on Tuesday night.
The Dons improved to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in league competition, marking the strongest start in program history. The win also carried added significance against a Dos Pueblos squad that has enjoyed incredible success in recent seasons and added an exciting chapter to a budding rivalry.
“Three years in a row, they put the smackdown on us. We knew Dos Pueblos graduated a lot of guys, but that doesn’t automatically mean we are going to win,” said Santa Barbara coach John Keogh. “They are really well coached, and they play a really aggressive zone defense.”
The game began as a defensive struggle, with neither team generating a shot on goal for much of the opening quarter. Santa Barbara broke the deadlock with just more than three minutes remaining in the period, as Connor Jackson found the net to give the Dons a 1-0 at the 3:06 mark of the first quarter.
Santa Barbara built momentum early in the second, scoring on consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 3-0. Flynn Chenoweth capitalized on a transition opportunity, and Vonn Forrest followed with a long-range strike. Chenoweth added another goal later in the quarter, slipping past the defense from behind the net to make it 4-0.
Dos Pueblos responded late in the half, with Austin Fauver finishing a setup from Koa Birchim to put the Chargers on the board. However, Santa Barbara answered almost immediately, as Chenoweth completed a second-quarter hat trick to push the lead to 5-1. Birchim later added a transition goal assisted by Rohan Wansor, cutting the deficit to 5-2 at halftime.
“I think we were playing way too soft in the first half. Defensively, that’s not the way we play, and that was the message: We have to be more aggressive,” said Dos Pueblos coach Lucas Martinez. “We got a lot of turnovers in the second half. That’s how we need to play the whole game. We can’t play a whole half where we are playing a defense that, honestly, I didn’t really recognize.”
The Chargers showed renewed energy after the break, with Dylan Wooten scoring early in the third quarter to narrow the margin. Santa Barbara countered with two quick goals from Forrest, who recorded a hat trick and extended the lead to 7-3.
Dos Pueblos mounted a brief comeback as Adam Paredes and Wansor scored in quick succession, reducing the deficit to 7-5 with just more than six minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Chargers’ defense also tightened, generating key stops to keep the game within reach.
However, Santa Barbara regained control in the fourth quarter by managing possession and limiting scoring opportunities. The Dons’ defense held Dos Pueblos scoreless over the final 12 minutes, while Jackson added his second goal of the game midway through the quarter to seal the 8-5 victory.
With the loss, the Chargers fell to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Dos Pueblos is scheduled to host Thacher on Thursday, while Santa Barbara High will face Saugus in a non-league matchup on Saturday.
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