Lower Lake answered Tuesday's loss to Fort Bragg with a 2-1 win at Clear Lake on Thursday night, beating the Cardinals for the second time this fall.
The Trojans led 1-0 at halftime. Each side scored once after the break. Junior Gael Moreno scored for Clear Lake from senior Bairo Carmona's 15th assist of the season, and Lower Lake scored late in the game from the penalty spot.
Lower Lake move to 10-4-3 overall and 8-3-1 in the league, behind only Fort Bragg (10-1-1). They are 17th of the 54 teams in our fall boys rankings. Clear Lake, 28th, fall to 11-6-4, and 6-5-2 in the league.
A quick response
Thursday's win came two days after a 2-1 home loss to Fort Bragg, which ended a four-game winning streak. Lower Lake had not conceded in any of those four games, beating Upper Lake 4-0, Willits 1-0, Cloverdale 2-0 and Middletown 3-0 between Oct. 6 and Oct. 15.
Fort Bragg account for three of the Trojans' four losses this fall: 4-1 in an August tournament game, 3-1 on Sept. 24 and 2-1 on Tuesday. The other came at Middletown on Sept. 22, a 3-1 defeat Lower Lake answered with a 3-0 win over the Mustangs on Oct. 15.
Lower Lake have scored 39 goals and conceded 21 in 17 games, with six shutouts, and they are 5-2-1 away from home.
Five straight over the Cardinals
Lower Lake have won all five meetings between the teams since the start of last season, by a combined 26-3. Last fall they beat Clear Lake 14-0 in an August tournament, 1-0 in Lakeport and 7-1 at home, on the way to a 12-3-2 record and a 9-1-2 league mark. This fall's two games have been much closer, both 2-1.
Who leads the Trojans
Sophomore striker Adrian Guzman leads the team with 10 goals and 14 assists. Fellow sophomore Yael Viverios has seven goals and seven assists, senior striker Edwin Castellanos Soto has three goals, and junior Aidan Osorio Torres has three assists.
Buffalo kept Clear Lake close
Clear Lake coach Anthony Duncan pointed to his goalkeeper. Junior Nolan Buffalo made 11 saves "to keep it close," Duncan said. Two nights earlier, Buffalo made 15 saves in a 3-0 win at Middletown, his sixth shutout of the season, and Duncan said he leads NCS Division 2 with 85 saves this fall.
Duncan named sophomore Jorge Garcia his player of the game. Garcia had six steals and, Duncan said, "carried the ball out the back." He leads the team with 30 steals this season and has played center back, fullback, wing, defensive midfield and striker.
Moreno's goal gave Carmona 15 assists, which Duncan said is the most in both the North Central League I and NCS Division 2. Lower Lake kept Clear Lake's leading scorer, senior Levi Ewing, off the scoresheet. Duncan said Ewing has 25 goals this fall, the most in the league and third in NCS Division 2.
Asked to name his team's strengths, Duncan started with "defending and goalie." No team has scored more than four against the Cardinals this fall, and they have lost by three goals only once. "We are really working on possession, 3rd man runs, staying in the pocket and playing in the half spaces," Duncan said.
What's next
Both teams close the regular season at home on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 4:30 p.m. Lower Lake host third-place Kelseyville, who have drawn with them twice this fall, 0-0 in August and 1-1 on Oct. 1. Clear Lake host league leaders Fort Bragg, who beat them 3-1 on Oct. 1. The NCS playoffs begin Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Editor's note: Inside The Ninety wants to tell more stories like this one. Records and results only go so far, and the best stories come from the people closest to the game. We thank Coach Duncan for sharing his thoughts on this season's Clear Lake team.
If you coach a team with a story worth telling, we want to hear from you. There might be a breakout player, a season that turned around, or a group doing more with less. Email us at insidetheninety@gmail.com or send us a DM.