UPPER LAKE >> Bailee Byrd and Josh Williams, the only two seniors on Upper Lake High School’s boys soccer roster in 2017, both contributed to the Cougars’ 5-0 victory over the Potter Valley Bearcats on Wednesday afternoon in Upper Lake.
Honored at halftime in their final regular-season home game, Byrd scored twice and had an assist while Williams contributed another assist as Upper Lake improved to 6-3 in the North Central League III standings and 6-11 overall.
“It was good to get them on the score sheet in their final home game,” Upper Lake coach Kevin O’Brien said of Byrd and Williams.
Byrd, Jason Martinez and Pedro Alvarado all scored in the first half as Upper Lake opened up a 3-0 lead. Byrd and Martinez added insurance goals in the second half.
“We played real well,” O’Brien said. “It wasn’t our best game of the season but we did enough. Potter Valley hung in there and didn’t quit.”
Upper Lake wraps up its NCL III and regular-season schedule on the road Friday in Mendocino. Win or lose, the Cougars will apply for an at-large berth in the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs, which begin next week. The playoff field will be announced Sunday.
“I think we have a legitimate chance of making it,” O’Brien said. “The boys have earned it. They came together as a team after a tough preseason.”
In other boys soccer action Wednesday:
St. Helena 3. Kelseyville 1
At Kelseyville, Kelseyville grabbed an early 1-0 lead but couldn’t find the net the rest of the way while losing to the St. Helena Saints in the league and regular-season finale for the Knights.
Kelseyville finishes 5-5-2 in the NCL I standings and 6-7-2 overall. The team will have to wait until Sunday to see if it has qualified for next week’s sectional playoffs as an at-large team.
“I hope so,” Kelseyville coach Eduardo Ledesma said after watching Kelseyville convert only one of its 16 shots on goal against the Saints, who were 3-for-7.
“We kind of struggled,” Ledesma said. “We were missing a lot of passes, that was part of the reason.”
Trey Conrad’s goal, which was assisted by Juan Raygoza, gave Kelseyville a 1-0 lead. St. Helena tied the score later in the first half. The Saints scored the only two goals of the second half.
