UPPER LAKE — The only thing hotter than the weather Thursday afternoon in Upper Lake was the play of Cougars senior Vanessa Lopez-Becerra, who scored a hat trick in the second half of Upper Lake’s 4-1 non-league girls soccer victory over the visiting Lower Lake Trojans.
With a game time temperature of 107 degrees — give or take a degree — both teams had their work cut out. The only goal of the first half was scored late by Upper Lake’s Kat Lopez-Geary, who buried one into the corner of the net to put the Cougars ahead to stay.
Nearly the entire first half was spent on Lower Lake’s side of the field as the Cougars sent shot after shot toward the net only to miss — sometimes badly — or be denied by Lower Lake’s keeper.
“I felt like we played a lot slower today,” Upper Lake head coach Daniella Santana said. “We just couldn’t finish on all those shots.”
That changed in the second half as Lopez-Becerra scored early on to make it 2-0. Lower Lake briefly cut the Cougars’ lead to 2-1 on a Yamilet Saucedo goal, but Lopez-Becerra came right back with a goal to make it 3-1. Her third and final goal, assisted by Ashlyn Rhodes, put the game out of reach.
Upper Lake’s player of the game was an each choice for Santana.
“Obviously she (Lopez-Becerra) did great,” Santana said. “And my whole defensive line did well.”
The teams received additional water breaks during the game to combat dehydration.
Upper Lake has a busy week ahead with a non-league home game Monday against Willits, a league game Wednesday at Tomales, and another league game Friday at Rohnert Park against defending North Central League II champion Credo.
“That will be the ultimate test for us,” Santana said of the Credo game.
