LAKEPORT >> Jennie Orozco’s goal with a minute left to play lifted the Lower Lake High School girls soccer team to a 2-1 victory over the Clear Lake Cardinals in North Central League I action on Thursday afternoon in Lakeport.
Orozco knocked a ricochet back into the net, according to Lower Lake Andrea Mahling, who has the Trojans off to a 2-0 start in league play. They are 3-0 overall.
“Clear Lake fought hard for it, but they just wanted it a little bit more,” Mahling said of her players.
Lower Lake’s Fabiola Santana scored the only goal of the first half with an assist from Margarita Cordoza. Clear Lake tied the game on Kortnie Reynolds’ penalty kick in the second half.
Jaqueline Galvan assisted on teammate Orozco’s winning goal.
The Cardinals are now 0-2 in league and 1-5 overall.
“It’s a very young team,” Clear Lake first-year coach Annie Zombil said. “We lost seven starters (to graduation) and have only four returning players.”
In fact, the Cardinals have seven freshmen on their roster and only two of them have any appreciable experience, according to Zombil. “We’ve got a long way to go.”
Clear Lake freshman keeper Trinity Jardstrom excelled in the net for the Cardinals against Lower Lake, according to Zombil.
“She’s been awesome,” Zombil said.
Other Clear Lake standouts were Reynolds and Skye Bruch in the midfield and Mavis Pyorre on defense.
Both teams returns to action Tuesday. Clear Lake travels to Fort Bragg while Lower Lake visits St. Helena.
In other girls soccer action Thursday:
Middletown 3, Willits 0
At Middletown, rack up another shutout for the Middletown Mustangs, this time against the Willits Wolverines.
Middletown improved to 2-0 in league play and 9-2 overall behind first-half goals from Julisa Garcia and Sophie Kucer, both unassisted, and a second-half goal from Brie Alves, assisted by Kucer.
“We had good midfield play and controlled the ball,” Middletown coach Lamont Kucer said. “Overall a good game, a good result.”
Garcia excelled in the defensive midfield, according to Kucer.
The Mustangs once again had a high number of shots on goal (27).
“We had lots and lots of shots on goal,” Kucer said. “We need to stick a few more of those in.”
Middletown hits the road Tuesday to play Cloverdale.
Kelseyville 1, Fort Bragg 1 (tie)
At Kelseyville, Kelseyville scored the only two goals of the match but could only salvage a tie with the Fort Bragg Timberwolves in NCL I action.
One of those two goals was an own goal in the first half when a Kelseyville player accidentally headed the ball into the Knights’ net. It remained a 1-0 game in Fort Bragg’s favor until Cassidy Griffin scored in the second half for Kelseyville.
Stephanie Corona assisted on Griffin’s goal.
“We can’t seem to put the ball in the back of the net,” Kelseyville coach Eric Hoefler said. “We hit the ball off the side post, the top post, the goal post. Anything that was metal on the field we seem to hit. We didn’t hit the football scoreboard.”
Kelseyville, now 0-1-1 in league and 1-4-1 overall, did play airtight defense, according to Hoefler.
“The defense is doing well, we just need more production from the offense,” he said. “We are taking small steps forward.”
The Knights hit the road on Tuesday to play Willits.
