Tuesday’s third round of Foothill League girls’ golf showed just how tight the championship race could be.  Valencia High School earned its first win of the season after finishing with 199 strokes at the Oaks Clubs, beating out West Ranch High School by one stroke.  The Vikings were led by sophomore Eliana Saga, who tore through the Oaks with a 33-stroke day (-3). Saga was level or better at every hole, finishing with three birdies and six pars.  Valencia’s Eliana Saga tees off during the original third Foothill League match at The Oaks Club at Valencia on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal “Eliana is a special player,” Valencia coach Robert Waters said via email. “She does things so well. Long off the tee, very strategic with her approach shots, possesses a fantastic short game and mature beyond her years with her mental approach to the game. Eliana was definitely excited to finally get into league play and compete with the rest of the valley.”  Just behind Saga was sophomore teammate Kara An, who shaved two strokes off of her previous outing at the Oaks, with 36 strokes.   “Kara’s been solid for us all year,” Waters said. “She worked very hard in the off season and has done extremely well in her (Amateur Junior Golf Association) tournaments, putting her name on the map. I would expect to see a strong finish from her next week to close out league play and prepare for CIF playoffs.”  Kiara Jang added a 41-stroke day while Leeanne Park finished with 44 to lead Valencia to the win.  West Ranch’s Chloe Busnawi tees off during the original third Foothill League match at The Oaks Club at Valencia on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal It was an off day for most of the West Ranch golfers. Naomi Kim remains in the running for the Foothill League MVP crown should her 41-stroke day on Tuesday be her hi-out score. Kathryn Mong, Kate Yi and Chloe Busnawi all finished with 40 strokes for the Wildcats.  Sophia Allard led Canyon High School with her best league outing of the season of 39 strokes while Saugus High School junior Khloe Guerrero finished with 40.  Tuesday’s match was a full replay of the third league match at the Oaks Club after heat canceled the original match last week. Multiple groups of golfers had already finished for the day, including Saga and An, who both posted better scores in the canceled match. Saga went 4-under in the original match while An was just behind at 2-under.  Waters will need multiple golfers to step up on Thursday when Foothill League golf resumes at Sand Canyon Country Club. Valencia will be without An, who will be playing in AJGA tournament in Louisiana, but Waters is excited to see his other varsity stars step up to keep the Foothill League race tight and close in on West Ranch.  “Definitely a tight race, both from a team and individual standpoint,” Waters said. “We’ll need some girls to play steady tomorrow and keep the gap close. These last three rounds should be fun to watch and I know the girls are excited to get back out there.”  The first group of golfers tees off at noon at Sand Canyon.  The post Valencia golf snags first league win  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.