GIRLS' SOCCER: HART SEIZES FOOTHILL BEATS CANYON TO WRAP UP TITLE HART 1, CANYON 0.

Byline: ERIK BOAL

Special to the Daily News

CANYON COUNTRY -- The end result was the same, but the performances couldn't have been more different for the Hart of Newhall girls' soccer team.

Already having the Foothill League title wrapped up before last year's regular-season finale, the Indians suffered a humbling four-goal loss at Saugus to deny them an unbeaten crown.

In Thursday's showdown at rival Canyon, it was a winner-take-all scenario and Hart wasn't going to let another opportunity slip away.

Brittany Clark's corner kick from the right side in the fifth minute deflected off the hands of Canyon goalkeeper Danielle Michel and landed inside the left post, and Hart's defense handled the rest, securing consecutive titles with a 1-0 victory.

"We just went out there knowing we had to win," said Clark, who delivered her team-leading 22nd goal with Sarina Coutin heading the ball in the back of the net for good measure.

"It was the game of the season and we were looking forward to meeting them again. We came out with heart. We wanted it and it showed."

Canyon (18-2-4, 7-1-2), which recorded a 1-0 win at Hart in their first league meeting, had plenty of chances to deliver the equalizer. Gina Walker was stopped by Brittany Tippet on a 12-yard shot before the first-half whistle and later fired a 15-yard shot just over the crossbar. Sierra Goff also had a second-half shot miss high.

"The bottom line is we didn't play nearly good enough to win the game," said Canyon co-coach Eric White, whose team suffered its second loss to the Indians (22-3-1, 9-1), the first a 4-2 setback in the final of the Hart tournament.

"They're a good team and they finished and we didn't."

Tippet had seven saves en route to her school-record 18th shutout for Hart, which could receive the top seed when the Southern Section Div. II playoff pairings are released Monday.

"We weren't letting up for anything," Hart senior sweeper Michelle Mason said. "(This year) definitely has more drama involved, but it's a better sense of accomplishment."

Said Hart coach Louis Romero: "This is the way we wanted to finish it. They gave us all we got and that's all I can ask."

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Hart's Lindsay Mills heads the ball in front of Canyon's Courtney Belsheim on Thursday.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer