After Tuesday’s loss to Golden Valley High, the Turlock High boys soccer team thought its hopes of a Central California Conference title were gone.

“We basically thought we lost it already when we lost to Golden Valley,” Turlock junior forward Ty Hyer said.

But they didn’t.

They needed to beat crosstown rival Pitman High for a third time on Thursday afternoon, and that’s what the Bulldogs did — though just barely. After three first-half goals — coming from Hyer, Martin Castorena and Jose Ortega — Turlock held on for a 3-2 win to capture the school’s second overall and first league title since 1996, when the Bulldogs, it is believed, won it as co-champions.

It also helped that Golden Valley lost 3-2 to Merced High on Thursday in a match that turned ugly after a fight broke out, according to one report. The Cougars lost the title by just one point in the league standings.

The Bulldogs are the top seed in the CCC in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Tournament, as they earned a first-round bye and won’t play until next Thursday at 3 p.m. at Debely Stadium.

They’re awaiting the winner of Tuesday’s game between Lodi High and Davis High.

The Bulldogs (18-3-4, 9-3-3 CCC) were in first place until after the Golden Valley loss on Tuesday. So they knew they had to beat Pitman in order to win it all. The Bulldogs scored three goals in the first half and that was just enough to come away with the victory.

“This was something that we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” Turlock coach Doug Sperry said about winning the CCC. “It was something the guys really wanted. We’re really happy to be a part of it. I’m really happy for my guys. They deserved it.”

To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.