EUREKA >> Madison Ketchum scored twice on assists from Caitlin Lemoine and the Middletown Mustangs beat the St. Bernard Crusaders 2-1 in the quarterfinal round of the North Coast Section Division III girls soccer playoffs on Saturday afternoon in Eureka.
The nine-time defending North Central League I champions are making their 10th straight appearance in the semifinals and will play No. 1 seed Sonoma Academy on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Sonoma Academy High School in Santa Rosa. The Coytoes (18-0) are the three-time defending section champions. The last year they didn’t win it all — 2012 — Middletown did.
Sonoma Academy beat Middletown 6-0 on Aug. 31 in Santa Rosa.
“We’re a better team now than we were in our second game of the season,” Middletown coach Lamont Kucer said. “We are prepared to compete.” Just ask the Crusaders, who also beat Middletown during the preseason – 2-1 in early September. The Mustangs fell behind 1-0 but pulled even on the first Ketchum goal, that late in the first half.
It was still a 1-1 game midway through the second half when Lemoine’s hard kick ricocheted off the post and right to Ketchum, who blasted a shot into the net for a 2-1 lead.
“It was a really, really intense match,” Kucer said. “It started to rain in the second half and they (Crusaders) had the wind to their backs in the first half, which made a difference. We had the wind to our backs in the second half and it helped.”
Middletown’s Hanna Morris made her second straight playoff start at keeper for Lucy Schisler (away on a trip) and turned in another strong performance, according to Kucer.
“Hanna did a really good job and the one goal they scored wasn’t her fault,” Kucer said.
Kassi Agapoff anchored the defense although Kucer said it was hard to single out individuals.
“Overall everybody played really hard and well,” he added.
It’s the second straight year Middletown and Sonoma Acadmey are meeting in the semifinals and the fourth time in six years they’ve encountered each other in the playoffs. The Mustangs beat the Coyotes in the 2012 championship game, lost to them in a 2013 finals rematch, and fell 3-2 in a double-overtime semifinal thriller last season in Middletown.
St. Vincent and St. Helena play in the other semifinal on Wednesday. Winners advance to the Division III championship game on Saturday at a time and location to be announced.
