LOWER LAKE — Reaching the North Coast Section playoffs is nothing new for the Clear Lake Cardinals, who closed out their regular season with a 9-0 victory over the Lower Lake Trojans on Thursday in a North Central League I interlock varsity girls” soccer game in Lower Lake.
Clear Lake (11-11-2) will apply for and should receive an at-large berth Sunday when the North Coast Section Division II playoff field is announced. If the Cardinals make it, they will return to the sectional playoffs for the 16th year in a row.
“It was a good way for us to end it,” Clear Lake coach Paul Larrea said of the team”s regular-season schedule. “It was a fun game.”
Telia Paskaly played only 20 minutes at forward but still scored three goals to lead the Cardinals. Briana Dutcher added two goals while Amely Ballesteros, Nadine Bradley, Emily Norwood and Savannah DeKeyer had one apiece.
A handful of Cardinal players turned in strong performances, according to Larrea, among them Sara Guerrero, Nadia Tipton and Jennifer Hays.
“Sara Guerrero played quite a bit and almost had a couple of goals,” Larrea said. “She did a good job.”
Ballesteros and Paskaly also had two assists for the Cardinals.
It was the season finale for Lower Lake.
“Lower Lake played hard and they have a lot of girls out there,” Larrea said.
