WILLITS >> The Lower Lake High School boys’ soccer team is 4-1-2 at the midway point of the North Central League I boys’ soccer race after settling for a 1-1 tie against the Willits Wolverines on Tuesday afternoon in Willits.
Lower Lake trails Kelseyville (6-0-1) by 1 ½ games in the league standings and those two teams meet Thursday in Lower Lake, a rematch of ther 4-4 tie on Sept. 13 in Kelseyville.
“It sure is a big game,” Lower Lake coach Javier Michel said.
Lower Lake momentarily took a 2-1 lead against Willits on a goal by Hanzel Pelcastre with eight minutes remaining but an official waved it off.
Michel wasn’t buying the offsides call, though.
“It wasn’t offsides,” Michel said. “I went out there and asked them (officials) for an explanation. They couldn’t explain it to me. I asked for their names and one of them wouldn’t give it to me.”
Both teams scored in the first half. Willits had a 1-0 lead late in the half when Carlos Martinez collected a ball that ricocheted off a Willits defender and kicked it past the Wolverines’ keeper to make it 1-1.
In other boys’ soccer action Tuesday:
Cloverdale 3, M’town 1
At Middletown, Victor Lopez scored on a penalty kick in the second half, but that was all the offense the Middletown Mustangs could muster in a league loss to the Cloverdale Eagles.
The two teams were scoreless through the first half.
“We played really well in the first half and had quite a few opportunities,” Middletown coach Luis Chairez said. “We played sloppy in the second half.”
Cloverdale went ahead to stay with a goal in the first minute of the second half and had a 2-0 lead before Lopez scored for Middletown (1-5-1, 1-8-1).
Girls’ soccer
M’town 8, Cloverdale 0
At Middletown, Madison Ketchum scored three times and Caitlin Lemoine added two goals and two assists as the Middletown Mustangs routed the Cloverdale Eagles to remain a game back of Clear Lake in the NCL I standings.
Middletown improved to 4-0-3 in league play. The Mustangs open up the second half Thursday in Lakeport against Clear Lake (6-0-1).
“I was able to play a lot of our younger players in the second half and they were able to step up and add to our lead,” Middletown coach Lamont Kucer said.
Jenny Vasquez, a sophomore and a first-year soccer player, scored the first goal of her career.
“They (players) were real excited when she scored,” Kucer said.
Aly Ferguson and Julisa Garcia also scored for the Mustangs.
Volleyball
RVC def. Upper Lake
At Upper Lake, an Upper Lake team that has played so well this season made too many serving and serve receive errors on Tuesday, resulting in a 25-22, 25-13,17-25, 25-13 loss to Rincon Valley Christian in NCL II action.
It was only the second league loss for the Cougars – and their first at home – in seven matches.
“Rincon came to play, but it should have been closer,” Upper Lake coach Raelene Cromwell said.
Kejhana Taylor’s 10 kills and six digs led the Cougars (5-2). Natalie Karlsson added eight kills, 11 assists, six digs and four aces while Christina Wilson had four kills and seven digs.
Lower Lake def. Willits
At Lower Lake, it wasn’t their best effort of the season, but it was good enough as the Lower Lake Trojans defeated the Willits Wolverines 25-23, 25-22, 25-13 for their second straight NCL I win.
“We didn’t actually play all that well, but we played better than them,” Lower Lake coach Darcie Schmidt said.
Shayna Pike’s four kills led the Trojans (2-5) and libero Krystal Lockwood served up 11 points, including six in a row in the third set. Other team leaders were Alisha King with 10 points and two aces and Jolean Scarborough and Claire Alderson with two kills apiece.
