Cherry’s hat trick propels Mustangs past Lower Lake 6-1
Lake County Sports on Facebook
LOWER LAKE >> Two days after senior Autumn Clark finished with a hat trick in a 6-3 win over Fort Bragg, sophomore Ally Cherry came right back with a hat trick of her own in Middletown’s 6-1 North Central League I girls soccer win Thursday against the Lower Lake Trojans in Lower Lake.
“Cherry is an absolute competitor,” Middletown head coach Lee Hoage said. “She is a game-changer kind of player who uses her speed, physicality and powerful shots to impact the entire game. Her work rate is amazing and today she did not hold back.”
Middletown (7-2 league, 8-6-1 overall) scored three times in each half to build a 6-0 lead before Lower Lake (1-7-1, 2-10-2) scored on a direct kick in the final minutes.
“Our defense was solid again, creating pressure and clearing the ball out,” Hoage said. “Karina Lopez and Sophie Yebra continue to hold a solid back line for us.”
Besides Cherry’s three goals, the Mustangs received single goals from Clark, Bella Alcantar and Diana Montes, all seniors. Clark extended her streak to six straight games of scoring at least one goal. She has 10 goals in her last six games.
“We played together well,” team captain Clark said of her teammates’ outing against Lower Lake. “Our passes are starting to connect better and we have learned how our teammates play. We work off each other to get open and play the game how it is supposed to be played.”
Added Clark, “There are a lot fewer mistakes in games (now) and a lot more attacking opportunities, which is what we were lacking in the beginning of the season.”
“It is nice to always walk away with a win,” Hoage said. “We had some nice play sequences, but we still need to work on timing, precision an to be more selective with our passes.
“I would like to see some more overlap and angle runs that end up with crosses in the box,” Hoage added.
“It was a bittersweet moment to be against the team I used to assistant coach for (2022-24) on their home field,” Middletown assistant coach Mason Edwards said. “I am very impressed with all of our players for how they adjusted and improved throughout the game. A shout out to the Lower Lake players as well. They played great defense against us and definitely helped us prepare to play these final regular-season games.”
Middletown hosts Clear Lake on Tuesday before hitting the road Thursday to take on the undefeated Kelseyville Knights, a team it fell to 5-2 earlier this season in Middletown. The Mustangs beat Clear Lake 3-2 last month in Lakeport.
