UPPER LAKE — The Upper Lake Cougars kept it close for a half before the Mendocino Cardinals pulled away for a 6-0 victory in North Central League III boys soccer action on Thursday afternoon in Upper Lake.
“We did better than the last time we played them,” Upper Lake head coach Kyle Moore said of a 9-0 loss to the Cardinals on Oct. 3 in Mendocino.
Mendocino, the NCL III champion, wrapped up a perfect league season with a 12-0 record. The Cardinals, 14-1-1 overall, return to action next week in the North Coast Section Division II playoffs. The Division II field will be released Sunday after the at-large and seeding committee meeting.
Upper Lake (4-5-2, 4-9-2) received solid play in the midfield and on defense from freshmen Blaine Rhodes and Blake Talmage, according to Moore.
“I’m looking forward to seeing those guys grow in the future,” Moore said.
After battling Mendocino hard in the first half, the Cardinals began to open things up in the second half.
“They got a little bit away from us in the second half,” Moore said.
The Cougars conclude league play and the regular season with a game Friday in Point Arena at 4:30 p.m.
