Cougars lose in opening round to McKinleyville at MIST Tournament
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MCKINLEYVILLE >> Daniel Rojas scored Upper Lake’s goal in a 7-1 loss to McKinleyville on Friday at the MIST Tournament in McKinleyville.
“The score looks ugly, but we played great against a good team,” Upper Lake head coach Thomas Santana said. “Height definitely played a factor in today’s game. We couldn’t stop the air attack with them being so much taller. They had two goals on corner kicks and two on crosses with headers. It was a total mismatch.”
Despite the discrepancy in height and talent between the two teams, Santana said his Cougars (0-3) never gave up.
“That didn’t stop my boys from putting up a fight,” Santana said. “They continued to try and attack. The aggressive style of soccer played up in the Eureka area is not something we were used to, but we didn’t back down.”
Rojas scored in the second half, burying a shot in the corner.
“Constant action made for a very exciting game,” Santana said. “I’m proud of how hard they played and know that they’re going to continue to improve.”
Upper Lake played St. Bernard on 9 a.m. Saturday as tournament action continued.
