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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – It could not have been a closer game – or more confusing – for the players, the coaches, the crowd, even the referees.
With the scored tied 3-3 at the end of regulation, the Middletown Mustangs girls soccer team needed two sets of overtime penalty shootouts to narrowly defeat the Clear Lake Cardinals 4-2 (on the second set of penalty kicks) and advance to the quarterfinals of the North Coast Section Division III tournament.
The Clear Lake loss to the Mustangs drops the Lady Cards out of the single-elimination NCS playoff tournament and ends their season with a devastating defeat.
“Our girls played with heart,” a visibly upset Clear Lake head coach Paul Larrea said after the loss, “just like they have all season.”
Fifth-year Mustangs head coach Louise Owens acknowledged, “That’s the most exciting game I’ve ever been involved in,” moments before being doused with Silly String by a hard-charging pack of her Middletown players.
The first score of the game came off of lightning-fast Midfielder Hanna Diaz’s foot from close in at 13:15, and the Mustang’s took the lead 1-0.
Of her freshman captain, Owens said, “Hanna Diaz is just a standout player. She does a great job controlling the ball, and other teams have been keying in on her, and she manages to get around them anyway.”
Four minutes later, however, Clear Lake defender Nadine Bradley made a long pass into a crowd in front of Middletown goalkeeper Cheyenne Snow, and Briana Dutcher netted it for the Cardinals to tie the score at 1-1.
The Mustangs kept up the pressure against the Lady Cards, and scored their second goal of the game with 16:04 remaining in the first half off a Diaz pass assist to Middletown forward Kiley Agapoff.
But again, four minutes later, Clear Lake answered. Forward Kristy Hayes drove a header into the Mustangs’ net off a pass assist from Savannah De Keyser to tie the score at 2-2, where it remained until halftime.
“This is a very different team than we played earlier in the season,” Owens said about the Cardinals. “These girls came out hungry, and I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Clear Lake. It made for a very exciting game!”
Middletown scored within the first minute of the second half to regain the lead at 3-2 after Mustangs captain Taylor Sloan netted a rebound from a Kimmi Klewe goal attempt, but the Cardinals tied it up midway through on a beautiful bending free kick from 30-plus yards by Nadine Bradley into an upper corner of Middletown’s goal.
With the game tied at 3-all, and after two 10-minute sudden-death overtime periods didn’t change that score, the game went into its first penalty shootout, and that’s when the confusion began.
Diaz and Agapoff scored on their penalty kicks for Middletown, but Telia Paskaly’s shot bounced off the post, and Jen Hayes kicked it wide for Clear Lake.
When Mustang captain Katy August put her penalty shot in the goal, Middletown erupted in victorious celebration, the referees walked off the field and the coaches exchanged end-of-game handshakes.
It wasn’t until several minutes later, when a fan in the stands ran onto the field and frantically talked to Coach Larrea that it was determined Clear Lake still had a chance to tie the game in the best-of-five shot penalty kick shootout.
The referees retook the field, the players filed back to midfield to watch, and the highly unlikely happened: the Cardinals made their final three penalty kicks and the Mustangs missed their last two, leaving the shootout tied at 3-all.
Owens said of the confusion, “It would help if the refs understood the overtime policies first, prior to it coming, but we figured it out.”
The second penalty kickoff began with forward Brittany Cash scoring for Middletown, and when the Cardinal’s Kristy Hayes had her penalty shot blocked by goalkeeper Ashley Lescher, the Mustangs erupted in celebration for a second time, piling on each other at midfield.
That merriment was short-lived when it was realized the second shootout was also a best-of-five contest.
Emily Reed, Michelle Hill and Maddie Kucer netted their penalty kicks for the Mustangs, and Emily Norwood and Nadia Tipton made theirs for the Cardinals, but when Savananah De Keyser missed her shot, Clear Lake trailed by an insurmountable 4-2 in the second kickoff, and the game was over.
Again the Mustangs began to rejoice in victory, but skepticism had set in, and when a Middletown player shouted, “Are we sure we won?” it was enough to stop the celebration temporarily, until Clear Lake’s Amber Poff approached for her penalty shot and the referees called the match officially over.
Now the Mustangs – for the fourth time that night – could celebrate, this time for real.
“It just seemed like we had to have too many celebrations before they (the referees) figured it out,” Owens said after the win.
“I have nothing to say,” Larrea said after the devastating loss. “My parents told me not to say anything if I’ve got nothing nice to say.”
“Well, he’s a very passionate man,” Owens said about her opposing coach. “He loves the sport, he’s been around a long time, and I have the utmost respect for him.”
With the win the Mustangs advance to the quarterfinals of the NCS Division III playoff tournament, putting their 16-1-2 season record on the line when they play St. Vincent de Paul on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park.
The Lady Cards finished their season with a 12-11-3 overall record.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Two people went to the hospital Sunday following a crash near Clearlake Oaks.
The collision between a Volkswagen Beetle and a green Chevrolet pickup towing an empty horse trailer occurred just after 3 p.m. on Highway 20 at Hillside Lane, just west of Clearlake Oaks, according to the California Highway Patrol.
What triggered the crash was not immediately reported.
The trailer went off the highway and officials had to summon a four-wheel-drive flatbed truck to tow it.
The two occupants of the Volkswagen were transported to the hospital by Northshore Fire, according to reports from the scene.
Residents reported that it was the third collision at the same location to occur in the last two weeks.
A car went off the highway and landed on a dock at the same location last month, as Lake County News has reported.
Miguel Lanigan contributed to this report.
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- Written by: Steve Citron
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Sandra Reed of Kelseyville is illustrating how an individual with determination and the support from community agencies can overcome adversity and develop skills necessary to become financially independent and self sufficient.
Reed was recognized last week for her accomplishments, receiving an award from the Section 8 Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) Program.
The award was presented by Carol Huchingson, Lake County Department of Social Services director and executive director of the Lake County Housing Commission.
Over the past eight years Reed, a single mother, has sought help from the Department of Social Services (DSS) programs of Cal Works, Food Stamps, and the Section 8 Housing Voucher Program.
These programs are designed to provide support services for low income families in the form of training, child care, education, rent subsidy and cash aid while participants are gaining skills to enter the work force.
A component of the Section 8 program is the FSS Program.
The FSS program is available for Section 8 participants who voluntarily agree to become independent of all welfare assistance for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the end of a five- to seven-year contract by maintaining gainful employment.
In the Section 8 Program, when a family's income increases, their rent also increases. When enrolled in the FSS program the housing commission opens a savings account in the participant’s name. The agency then matches any rent increase caused by increased employment income.
At the successful completion of the program, participants receive the savings account plus any accrued interest. Reed earned enough savings to use as a down payment on the purchase of a home that she anticipates closing on in the next few weeks.
“As a teen parent I had little high school education and my future appeared financially uncertain. When I entered the FSS program, I found the incentive to work towards an attainable goal with a guaranteed reward,” Reed said.
According to Reed much of her success is due to the combined, professional services the Department of Social Services provided for her and her family that allowed her to attend school and earn vocational certificates.
“We are so proud of the success Sandra has found and her graduation from our programs,” Huchingson said. “Despite the myriad of challenges in the past seven years including a temporary disability, caring for an ill parent and career change Sandra maintained her focus towards achieving her goal of financial independence.”
While raising her own family and gaining self sufficiency Reed also gave back to the community by taking in foster children.
For the past three years Reed has been a certified medical assistant employed by Dr. Yuen-Green.
When asked how she achieved her success Reed said, “Set attainable goals, work hard and stick to your dreams; dreams can come true.”
For more information about the FSS program contact Kristen Compher, FSS Case Manager at 707-995-7120.
Steve Citron is the Adult and Housing Programs manager for the Lake County Department of Social Services.
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