The Fountain Hills High School girls soccer team had a solid week, claiming wins against Tempe Prep and Scottsdale Christian Academy to move to a 4-2 region record, 7-3 overall.

Head coach Ken Waterbury said he and his squad knew they were in for a tough week going against strong competition from Tempe Prep and the 3A region leaders, Scottsdale Christian.

Tempe Prep

The team was on the road Feb. 16 to play Tempe Prep in a high-scoring match, with the Falcons coming out victorious by a final tally of 6-3.

Waterbury said the teams had an extra competitor on the pitch in the form of very high winds.

“But after a slow opening 30 minutes in which the score was level at 1-1, we turned it up a notch to score three quick goals before halftime,” he said.

Waterbury said the Falcons couldn’t quite find the same gear throughout the second half, as the weather conditions started to weigh the Falcons down. Still, the local ladies managed to find the back of the net three more times, giving them a comfortable victory.

Ashby Owen led the way this outing with two goals. Parker Sweed had a goal and three assists, while Morgan Soloman added a goal and two assists to her season totals. Kambria VanOrden rounded out the offensive effort with a goal of her own in the final minutes of play.

Scottsdale Christian

Two days later, the Falcons played host to the region leaders from Scottsdale Christian. Waterbury said the first half really stretched the Falcons’ defensive limits. He said Scottsdale Christian set out to hold the ball and find their players behind the Falcon defense, which is exactly what they did.

“Senior defender Lindsey McMahon did well to keep the score at 2-0 going into halftime,” Waterbury said. “At halftime, we made some tactical adjustments and made personnel changes that we believed would give us the desired result. In the end, it could not have worked any better and we were able to score twice in the first five minutes of the second half.”

Waterbury said the opposition appeared visibly shaken up by the Falcons’ alterations and never recovered their composure.

“In the end, we scored four unanswered goals in what was our best half of the season and went on the win 4-2,” Waterbury added.

Ashby Owen and Parker Sweet were the offensive standouts, scoring two goals apiece while also offering a pair of assists to each other.

The Lady Falcons hit the road to take on Rancho Solano Prep Feb. 22 and will host Basis Phoenix this Thursday, Feb. 25, at 4:30 p.m. The regular season will wrap on the road March 2, with the Falcons scheduled to play Glendale Prep at 4 p.m.