Middletown girls back home Saturday to play Willits in Division 2 semifinals
Lake County Sports on Facebook
MIDDLETOWN >> Trinity Wood, a freshman, scored twice while Autumn Clark and Bella Alcantar also added goals as the Middletown Mustangs pulled away in the second half to beat the Point Arena Pirates 4-0 in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division 2 girls soccer playoffs at Bill Foltmer Field in Middletown.
Players on both sides had to contend off-and-on rain in the first half and steady rain in the second half, which made field conditions a bit on the slippery side.
Wood scored the only goal of the first half on a cross assist from senior Autumn Clark.
“Trinity Wood has been an impact player for us this year and we utilize her at several positions,” Middletown head coach Lee Hoage said. “Her first goal tonight helped us get going at a time when we needed it early in the first half.”
Clark’s penalty kick early in the second half made it a 2-0 game, and Wood’s penalty kick later in the half boosted the Mustangs’ lead to 3-0. Both penalty kicks were the result of handballs.
Middletown added another insurance goal after Bella Alcantar knocked in a corner kick from Ally Cherry.
Point Arena’s goalkeeper prevented the score from becoming even more lopsided, according to Hoage.
“The goalkeeper for Point Arena played great. She was aggressive and had several nice saves. We had 43 shots on goal and many of those were on the frame. She played the angles well and made it challenging for us to finish. We have to do better at finishing with this many shot opportunities to score. Placement and accuracy of our shots will be one of our focal points at practice.”
Hoage praised the play of midfielders Cherry, a sophomore, and senior Diana Montes.
“We had several nice overlap sequences and consecutive pass possessions,” Hoage said. “I was happy to see the buildup and precise passes and movement from my midfield players and my strikers, the pass contributions and support runs from midfielders Thira Hoage and Thaly Rodriguez Meza.”
Point Arena’s attacks were continuously disrupted by Middletown’s defensive backs, according to Hoage.
“They continue to put immediate pressure on Point Arena to interrupt their attacks and any forward progress,” Hoage said.
“This was a big win for us,” Hoage said. “I am glad our parents and fans came out. We now have to get locked in and prepare for Willits, who we have split games with this season. They (Wolverines) are a dynamic team that we need to strategically plan to compete with.”
Middletown, the No. 2 seed in the original Division 2 field, hosts No. 3 Willits in the semifinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the championship game.
TEAM NOTES: Middletown is gunning for a third section title in girls soccer. Hoage led the Mustangs to their first back in 2012. The Mustangs won again in 2019 under the direction of Lamont Kucer and were primed to repeat in 2020 with nearly every player returning before the COVID-19 epidemic wiped out the 2020 season … Middletown also reached the section finals in 2013 under head coach Louise Owens … Middletown is a Division 1 team that was moved down into Division 2 this postseason, a big break for the Mustangs, who finished second behind Kelseyville in the North Central League I standings. With Kelseyville’s 3-2 double-overtime loss to Eureka on Wednesday night in the opening round of the Division 1 playoffs, the Mustangs are the county’s last girls soccer team standing in the playoffs.