UPPER LAKE — In the season opener for both teams, the Middletown Mustangs scored early and never looked back, beating the Upper Lake Cougars 4-1 in first-round boys soccer action at the fourth annual Tyler Duncan Memorial tournament in Upper Lake.
Nadav Dicovski’s hat trick propelled the Mustangs (1-0) and Wyatt Moore added another goal.
Upper Lake (0-1) managed to avoid the shutout when Jaden Nunes scored on a corner kick in the second half to make it a 4-1 game. Middletown (1-0) took a 3-0 lead into halftime and added an insurance goal in the second half for a 4-0 lead.
The bigger and more physical Mustangs struck early, led by the senior Dicovski, according to Upper Lake head coach Thomas Santana.
“They’re big and they used their height and strength against us,” Santana said. “We’re a small team but we’re fast.”
Upper Lake suited up only two seniors a year ago, Santana’s first as head coach. This year the Cougars have five seniors.
“But we also have some brand new players,” Santana said.
One of those new Upper Lake players started at goalie and had an up-and-down day in the net, according to Santana.
“We also made two defensive mistakes (that led to Middletown’s last two goals),” Santana said.
The Tyler Duncan Memorial runs through Saturday. Upper Lake has Thursday off and returns to action Friday at 3:30 p.m. against McKinleyville. The Cougars also play twice Saturday starting with Willits at 10:30 a.m. They return later that day to take on Technology at 3 p.m.
Editor’s note: County coaches should report scores and statistics from their games to sports editor Brian Sumpter at (707) 889-1132. You can also email results to either RBSports@aol.com or to bsumpter@record-bee.com. Results should be reported as soon as possible following the game’s conclusion.
