GOALS APLENTY IN SOCCER WINS

Fifield, Tejada, Kucer fill up scoring column in Clear Lake, Middletown league victories

While the final score was 7-3 in Clear Lake’s favor over the Fort Bragg Timberwolves, a North Central League I girls soccer game played nearly a year ago today in Lakeport certainly didn’t feel like a lopsided affair.

Until the COVID-19-delayed 2020-21 sports season starts, which isn’t expected to occur until mid-December, the Lake County Record-Bee will take a look back at the high school happenings of a year ago and the teams and athletes who were making the headlines.

Girls soccer

While the final score may have suggested that the Clear Lake Cardinals had no problem beating Fort Bragg to snap a two-game league losing streak, that wasn’t the case. Behind three first-half goals from Mikayla Fifield, the Cardinals built a 3-1 halftime lead that they pushed to 4-1 early in the second half, but Fort Bragg battled back to make a game of it at 4-3.

Clear Lake finally pulled away behind a goal from Nancy Ruzicka and two more goals from Lexi Tejada, her second and third of the second half.

While Fifield and Tejada both had hat tricks in Clear Lake’s win over Fort Bragg, Middletown was shutting down Lower Lake 7-0 in Middletown behind a five-goal effort from Sophie Kucer, who would go on to win the league’s most valuable player award for a second year in a row.

Her sister, Olivia, added a goal and an assist in the shutout victory. The Mustangs would go on to win a 12th straight league title and the North Coast Section Division 1 championship.

PHOTOS BY BRIAN SUMPTER Clear Lake’s Ashton Fiske sets up as the ball approaches during a 7-3 home victory over Fort Bragg last week.

Clear Lake’s Lexi Tejada (10) weaves her way between Fort Bragg defenders during a league game against Fort Bragg last season. She scored three times in a 7-3 win over the Timberwolves.