PHOTOS: Strategy works and Troy pulls out 2-1 win over Sunny Hills in league showdown

Troy’s Kendall Carter (8) is mobbed by teammates Maribel Flores (15), Bethany Arabe (24) and Aaliyah Tu ua (12) after scoring the team’s first goal in 2-1 win over rival Sunny Hills. (Photos courtesy Jim McCormack for OC Sports Zone).

In this game of cat and mouse, the cat won.

Facing a second-half penalty kick that would have tied the score, Troy goalie Sophia Frow played a little game.

“I have this tactic where I move to one side of the goal to force them to the other side, then I just fly to the other side on the kick,” Frow said.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

Troy goalie Sophia Frow is greeted by teammates Katelyn Malachi (9) and Lindsey Gaglio (14) after Frow's critical penalty kick save.

Troy goalie Sophia Frow blocks a Sunny Hills penalty kick during Thursday's Freeway League match.

Sunny Hills goalie Priscilla Avila made several spectacular saves in the Lancers' 2-1 loss to Troy Thursday.

Sunny Hills goalie Priscilla Avila tries to kick the ball away from Troy's Maribel Flores in front of Sunny Hills' goal.

Troy's Bethany Arabe (24) celebrates her first-half goal with teammates Destiny Rodriquez (13)and Aaliyah Juge (22).

A sliding Sunny Hills' Faith Hopper kicks the ball away from Troy's Maribel Flores during team's match Thursday.

Sunny Hills' Faith Hopper (11) knocks the ball away from Troy forward Maribel Flores.

Sunny Hills' Jocelyn Pineda kicks the ball out of the Lancers' end of the field during 2-1 loss to Troy Thursday.

Troy's Kendall Carter defends against a run by Sunny Hills' Brianna Figueroa.

Troy's Lindsey Gaglio (14) and Sunny Hills' Brianna Figueroa (24) play the ball in teams' soccer match Thursday.

Troy's Bethany Arabe (24) is hit by a kick by Sunny Hills' Faith Hopper during teams' Freeway League soccer match.

The maneuver worked. Frow cleanly batted the ball away and Troy, as it always seems to do, edged crosstown rival Sunny Hills, 2-1, in a spectacular match played on a chilly but beautiful Thursday afternoon.

The victory moved the Warriors (5-0) into sole possession of first place in the Freeway League, a place where they routinely reside, while continuing a Sunny Hills (4-1) frustration that must be maddening. 

Even though all of their matches have been close, including a handful of ties, the Lancers have not beaten the Warriors in league since 2014 when Sunny Hills prevailed, 1-0.

Since that loss, Troy has lost only one other Freeway League match (1-0 to Fullerton on Jan. 16, 2018).  The Warriors’ current unbeaten streak is 22 matches and since the 2014 loss to the Lancers, Troy has lost only once in 58 games

While the Sunny Hills’ frustration is apparent, the Lancers did rebound from a second-place finish to Troy last season and win a CIF championship.

It is with that background that a chilly crowd watched a match Thursday that was exciting from start to finish.

Troy took a 2-0 lead on goals by Kendall Carter in the 5^th minute and Bethany Arabe in the 27^th, but Sunny Hills got close in the 32^nd minute when Anika Osbourne found the ball in front of the Troy goal during a scrum following a penalty kick and slipped a shot past a sprawling Frow. 

That set the stage for Frow’s second-half penalty kick save.

The teams’ rematch will be Feb. 4, 3 p.m. at Sunny Hills and is certain to be as exciting as the first match.

—Story courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone