MIDDLETOWN >> That’s 10 league titles in a row for the Middletown Mustangs, who punched into double-digit territory on Thursday with a 4-0 North Central League I girls soccer win over the Lower Lake Trojans at Middletown High School.
It was the league and regular-season finale for both teams. Middletown finishes 11-1 in the league standings and 16-3-2 overall. St. Helena also had just one loss in league play and while the Saints (9-1) had two fewer victories than the Mustangs because they were unable to reschedule all of the games they lost because of the North Coast fires earlier this month, the Coastal Mountain Conference decided the fairest thing to do was to award co-championships, especially since Middletown and St. Helena split their two meetings and were clearly the class of the league.
A one-game playoff was originally scheduled for Saturday in St. Helena to determine which of the two co-champions would get the league’s automatic playoff berth in the North Coast Section playoffs, but St. Helena forfeited because it wasn’t going to have enough players available that day.
Middletown and St. Helena will learn on Sunday where they have been seeded in the Division I field and who and when they’ll be playing in the first round next week.
“I’m hoping we’ll get at least a No. 4 seed, that way we’ll have the opportunity to host two games,” Middletown coach Lamont Kucer said.
The Mustangs scored twice in each half against Lower Lake (0-11-1, 0-14-1). Aly Ferguson, one of four seniors on the Middletown roster, finished with two goals in her final regular-season home game. Courtney Gillies, another of those seniors, also had a goal as did Kassi Agapoff.
Gracie Armstrong, Maddie Ferguson and Sophie Kucer had assists.
Following the end of the Middletown-Lower Lake boys game and prior to the start of the girls game, Kucer honored seniors Armstrong, Gillies, Estefani Hurtado and Aly Ferguson. The players received bouquets and candy necklaces as well as a few kind words from their coach.
“It was an emotional time,” Kucer said.
Standouts for the Mustangs in their league finale included Agapoff and Kucer in the midfield and Kelsey Lemoine on defense.
In other action Thursday:
Cloverdale 1, Clear Lake 0
At Lakeport, the Cloverdale Eagles scored in stoppage time to beat the Clear Lake Cardinals in the league and regular-season finale for both teams.
“We had way more shots on goal but couldn’t find the back of the net,” Clear Lake coach Tommy Burke said.
Standouts for the Cardinals (7-5-1, 10-8-1) in the defensive battle were Carina Martinez and Regina Faalalea, according to Burke.
Clear Lake has applied for an at-large berth in the sectional playoffs and will learn on Sunday where it has been seeded in the Division I field.
