Former Coach Even With Louisville

WOODLAND HILLS — Coach Bud Dain of Crescenta Valley has the upmost respect for Louisville, after all he coached at the school from the early to mid-1990s before retiring.

Dain was pleased to see the direction Louisville is headed after his new team earned a 1-1 draw Wednesday night in his first game back at his former home field since 1995.

“This is my home field,” Dain said. “To come back and see Louisville do so good is an absolute thrill. They are a very good team and a well-coached team.

“I thought it was a great first game for us.”

Louisville had a chance to win in the 59th minute when referee Gary Emerson awarded a penalty kick after Celisse Hayden of Louisville tripped in the goal box while running side by side with defender Jessica Baldridge.

“That girl’s a drama queen,” Baldridge said. “It was all ball. I never touched her. I got the ball and she tripped on me.”

Goalkeeper Jennifer Burke of Crescenta Valley stopped the penalty kick by Nathalia Fernandez that sailed about two yards inside of the left post.

“I had a lot of time to think about it,” Burke said. “I just guessed. The last penalty kick I had, I went to the right and she went to the left. So I went to the left.”

The Royals scored in the third minute. Hayden passed the ball out of the midfield to April Millado, who sprinted away from her defender and knocked the ball past Burke for a 1-0 lead.

The Falcons’ tying goal came in the 21st minute when Louisville goalkeeper Kim Morgan misjudged Shannon Moffat’s direct kick from 25 yards and knocked it into the net.

The Royals outshot the Falcons, 19-12, but had only a few good scoring opportunities.

“We could have won the game, 5-0, but we couldn’t finish,” Coach Jose Perez of Louisville said. “We just couldn’t put it in the net.”

The Royals’ best chance to win came on Carrie Schuler’s free kick in the 52nd minute that was bobbled by Burke before hitting the crossbar and bouncing out of play.

The game was test for Millado, was playing her first game at forward. Millado plays defender for the under-15 regional team, but Perez thinks she could become an offensive threat because of her quickness.

“She was a little lost,” Perez said. “She didn’t play that good and she still scored. Wait until she gets going.”

Midfielder Jenny Farenbaugh of Louisville created several opportunities but was kept from scoring because she was frequently fouled.

“She’s just too good,” Perez said. “When she is 18, she’ll be on the National team.”