MCKINLEYVILLE — The Upper Lake Cougars scored the first goal of the game and held the Eureka Loggers at bay for a half before falling 8-1 in a first-round boys soccer game at the McKinleyville Tournament.
Alexis Balderas scored with an assist from Manny Villalobos early in the first half and that goal stood up until Eureka tied the game right before halftime.
“We had them scared in the beginning,” Upper Lake head coach Thomas Santana said. “Manny took control of the midfield.”
Able to continually rotate in fresh legs in the second half turned out to be a huge advantage for Eureka as the Loggers wrestled momentum away from the Cougars (2-5) and began to score at will.
“They had 24 or 25 players,” Santana said. “We were tired … we were gassed. They found a way to beat us down.”
Upper Lake standouts were Villalobos and Jonathan Pulido, according to Santana.
“They’ve been our rocks this season,” Santana said.
Upper Lake plays the loser of a first-round match between Calistoga and Fortuna in a consolation bracket game Saturday at 9 a.m. The Cougars play again later Saturday afternoon.
