Knights shut out visiting Upper Lake in non-league action
Lake County Sports on Facebook
KELSEYVILLE >> The Kelseyville Knights scored early and often while building a 5-0 halftime lead that turned into a 7-0 non-league win over the Upper Lake Cougars on Tuesday during varsity boys soccer action in Kelseyville.
“Before the game I really wanted to see my team come out strong and take control of the game early,” Kelseyville head coach Kc White aid. “They had not done that in the first two games of the season, but they did it tonight. It was a total team effort for us.”
Kelseyville (2-1) moved ahead to stay on a Julio Lopez goal assisted by Jake Smart just four minutes into the game. The Knight kept peppering away on offense before finally scoring again, this time in the 17th minute, on the first of three goals by Sebastian Cacho, assisted by Manny Arias. Cacho scored again in the 32nd minute with an assist from Gavin Cunningham to make it 3-0, and Diego Rico scored in the 38th minute, again with a Cunningham assist, for a 4-0 lead. One minute later a Rico assist set up an Alex Jimenez goal to make it 5-0.
“Kelseyville has a good team,” Upper Lake head coach Thomas Santana said. “They move the ball well and you can really tell a lot of those boys have been playing together for a long time.”
Added Santana, “We started off good, holding off their attack for a while. With minutes left (in the first half) it was only 2-0, but with only one sub, we definitely lost some gas.”
Kelseyville quickly added to its lead in the second half as Cacho, on a pass from Julio Lopez in the 45th minute, scored again to complete his hat trick. Lopez scored his second goal of the game in the 50th minute, Jair Inostroza Carrillo earning the assist, to make it 7-0.
“Once that goal went in, the starters came out,” White said. “I was happy to give the guys off the bench a lot of playing time tonight. They work just as hard as the starters in practice every day, so it’s nice to see them get out there and hopefully improve while they’re in.”
While the Cougars (0-2) had a long day on the pitch, Santana said a handful of his players turned in solid efforts.
“A standout player for me was Alan Alvarado, someone who had to step up this year and play goalkeeper for us,” Santana said. “He had six saves and really showed improvement from our scrimmage against Clear Lake High School.
“With our numbers being so low we’ve started to recruit some young freshmen and today one of them showed us he has a lot of potential. Tony Avalos, a freshman who had never played soccer before, showed he has real speed and I’m excited to see what he can bring us going forward. And Eric Tinoco, a sophomore who is playing JV football and soccer, had two of our most clear attempts on goal. We have a lot of potential, now we just have to put it all together,” Santana added.
White said he’s looking forward to having a full team, something he hasn’t had yet because Kelseyville, unlike the county’s other four high schools, remains on summer break until the first day of school Tuesday.
“I have had an incomplete team for the first three weeks of the season,” White said. “Guys have been working, out of town, etc., but I’m finally getting everyone back to practice regularly, and it’s beginning to show with our on-field performance. We are passing the ball really well and getting a lot of shots up. I’m extremely pleased with my senior leadership this season. Most of the nine seniors have been with me from the beginning. We have worked hard to reap the rewards of consistent play over the last three-plus years. We are ready for the moment. I have a lot of versatility this year, which helps me mix and match to get the right formula. I also have a starting keeper, which is something I didn’t have last season. That takes a lot of pressure off my defense. I’m excited for what lies ahead.”
Kelseyville hits the road Wednesday to play Sonoma Academy at 4:30 p.m. Upper Lake returns to action in the MIST Tournament on Friday and Saturday in McKinleyville.
