Cougars wrap up play in MIST Tournament at McKinleyville
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MCKINLEYVILLE >> The Upper Lake High School boys soccer team fell 8-1 to Arcata in the final round of the MIST Tournament on Saturday in McKinleyville. The Cougars beat St. Bernard 3-2 earlier in the day.
Arcata
“It was a tough game, but Arcata is a really good team,” Upper Lake head coach Thomas Santana said of the Tigers. “The first half was 6-0 and we were really struggling. The boys were tired and we had a lot of little bumps bruises. With only 12 players it was hard.”
Added Santana, “At halftime I asked them to empty the tank and give me everything that had left, and they really did that.”
Emmanual Tapia scored on a header in the second half with an assist from Jaden Nunez.
“Jaden, who is normally our striker, got asked to move to defense and he really helped out a lot,” Santana said.
Alan Alvarado finished with six saves.
St. Bernard
Upper Lake scored its first win of the season early Saturday with a 3-2 win over St. Bernard. Daniel Rojas scored twice and also assisted on Tapia’s goal.
Upper Lake went 1-2 in the tournament and is 1-4 on the season.
“The whole tournament was a success in my eyes,” Santana said. “It showed we have a lot of potential. Playing against these powerhouse teams made them learn a lot as well. I’m proud of the effort and really excited to see what the rest of the season holds for us.”
Upper Lake hosts Clear Lake on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.
