Middletown girls rally past Clear Lake in North Central League I soccer action
Lake County Sports on Facebook
LAKEPORT >> Middletown High School rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the second half to edge the Clear Lake Cardinals 3-2 in North Central League I girls soccer action Thursday in Lakeport.
Middletown (3-1 league, 4-5-1 overall) took a 1-0 lead into halftime before falling behind 2-1 early in the second. Diana Montes tied the game before teammate Autumn Clark put the Mustangs in front to stay.
“A nice shot from just inside the penalty box,” Middletown head coach Lee Hoage said of Clark’s tie-breaking goal.
Trinity Wood’s goal put Middletown ahead in the first half.
“There was a lot of action in both goal areas, but we were able to hold off their attacks and also keep pressure on their goal with solid midfield control and several service balls to the strikers,” Hoage said. “We went to the wings and also used overlap runs right at them. We had several shots and passing sequences that kept the pressure on their end.”
Added Hoage, “The game was intense from beginning to end and one that I will remember years down the road. Very proud of the resilience this team showed on the pitch tonight.”
Hoage praised the play of the Middletown defense, especially Karina Lopez and Sophie Yebra, with Ally Cherry dropping back to help out.
“Midfielder Diana Montes put in one of her best games of the year,” Hoage said. “She controlled the midfield by transitioning the ball from the defensive line to the forwards and outside mids. She also sent many balls to the forwards in space with through balls and switching the fields for building up attacks. I was impressed with her composure and relentless effort. Her touches were on, and she was key to controlling the game and our offensive attack sequences.”
Clear Lake scoring was not reported. The Cardinals are 1-3 in league and 4-7-1 overall.
Both teams are home Tuesday for 6:15 p.m. games. Clear Lake hosts Lower Lake while Middletown entertains league-leading Kelseyville.
