FORT BRAGG — Maybe it wasn”t a win, but it also wasn”t a loss, and that may be good enough to get the Middletown Mustangs another North Central League I North girls” soccer championship.
Undefeated Middletown battled once-beaten Fort Bragg to a 0-0 deadlock Tuesday night on the Mendocino County coast. The Mustangs are 4-0-1 in league and 12-0-1 overall with North games remaining against Kelseyville (away), Lower Lake (home) and Willits (home).
“We can”t think it”s done,” Middletown coach Louise Owens said of the NCL I North race. “It”s not. I don”t see anything easy about it.”
The Mustangs entered play minus the services of Taylor Sloan and Natalie Diaz, both out hurt, and they lost another player to an ankle injury early in the game.
“I was happy to get out of there with a tie,” Owens said of the second league meeting between the two teams this season.
Middletown beat Fort Bragg 3-0 back on Oct. 1 in Middletown to take control of the league race. The two teams shared the North title a year ago although Fort Bragg went on to win a one-game playoff to clinch the league”s automatic playoff berth.
The two teams spent the majority of the game in the middle of the field. Both sides mounted a handful of attacks.
“Brittany (Cash) and Emily (Reed) got close a couple of times,” Owens said. “Our best chance came in the first half when Brittany had a shot that their keeper made a fantastic stop on ? she was fully outstretched.”
Middletown”s final road game of the regular season is Thursday in Kelseyville.
Owens said the Mustangs will be without Diaz, a talented midfielder, for the remainder of the regular season.
“It should would be nice to have her,” Owens said.
