ST. HELENA >> Five goals is enough to win most soccer matches … unless you give up a dozen to the opponent.
That’s what happened to the Clear Lake Cardinals on Thursday afternoon as they sleepwalked their way through the first half against St. Helena in the North Central League I opener for both of these boys teams at St. Helena.
“Some of them got sick going over the hill and they were lethargic early on,” Clear Lake coach Shaun Hornby said of his players. “We were just asleep in the first half.”
St. Helena (1-0) made the most of it, too, shredding Clear Lake’s defense for 10 first-half goals and a 10-1 halftime lead.
Not even a three-goal game by Ulices Valencia could do much to turn the St. Helena tide. Valencia even assisted on a goal by teammate Nicholas Holmes, who scored on a header.
Clear Lake’s late arrival to the game site didn’t help either as it cut into their warmup time.
“It just wasn’t in us today,” Hornby said.
Clear Lake, now 2-2 overall, returns to action Thursday in Lower Lake.
