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North Tahoe at Truckee soccer | Wolverines win Round 2

Sylas Wright
Sierra Sun
Sylas Wright / Sierra SunShelby Foster passes under pressure from Truckee's Ali Haines during Tuesday's 3-0 Truckee win.
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TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; The Truckee boys’ and girls’ soccer teams defended their home turf with Sierra League wins against North Tahoe by identical scores of 3-0 on Tuesday.

Truckee senior Shauna Day was the difference-maker in the girls’ game, recording two goals and one assist to help lift the Wolverines past their old nemesis.

Day wasted little time, as the reigning Offensive Player of the Year drilled a rocket shot into the upper-left corner of the goal from 25 yards out just 2 minutes into the game. Claire Roberts assisted the score.



The Lakers put up a fight, particularly in the midfield, and almost tied the score on a couple of occasions after Day’s strike. In the 21st minute Liz Buhler had a shot graze the top of the crossbar on a direct free kick from just outside the box, while Mago Olivares fired a shot just wide of the goal in the 31st minute.

Unlike in their recent losses, however, the Wolverines made the most of their scoring chances. In the 32nd minute, Day placed a corner kick in front of the Laker goal near the far post, where Serena Dill was positioned to hit it out of the air and into the goal, pushing Truckee’s lead to 2-0 entering the half.



and#8220;That was much better. We’re finally starting to play like we should,and#8221; said Truckee head coach Katie Jamison, comparing the game to the Wolverines’ recent losses against South Tahoe and Incline. and#8220;It really was exciting to see them advancing the ball much better and pushing the ball forward.and#8221;

Four minutes into the second half, Day received a yellow card when she slid in after a ball and collided with North Tahoe goalie Angela Wood, knocking Wood out of the game. Luckily for the Lakers, they have two equally talented goalies, and Wood was replaced by sophomore Kami Abi-Nader.

The new goalkeeper was tested almost immediately when Kaylee Neill took a high, hard shot that was on its way to finding the back of the net before Abi-Nader jumped up and punched it over the goal.

and#8220;It’s nice to have two goalies who are equally as good,and#8221; said North Tahoe head coach Jon Rockwood. and#8220;When Angela came out, Kami was able to come in and do a great job. So having that depth is awesome.and#8221;

Senior forward Sammi Schulte nearly cut into the Truckee lead with a breakaway opportunity in the 65th minute, but the ball sailed high.

Day rounded out the scoring in the waning minutes when she received a pass from Alex Mezger and beat a defender on a run, then booted in an angled shot off her right foot.

and#8220;I thought we played with a lot more heart,and#8221; Day said. and#8220;We’re picking up our game toward the end of the season.and#8221;

Rockwood said despite the loss, he was pleased with his team’s effort.

and#8220;I thought it was an evenly played game in the middle, but I thought Truckee absolutely deserved the win. They were able to convert their chances, and they had more chances,and#8221; the coach said. and#8220;But it’s encouraging to me that we were creating more opportunities than the last time we played Truckee. We were building plays in the midfield, which was great to see.and#8221;

Rockwood complimented the play of sweeper Alicia Pieper, as well as Buhler and Olivares. Jamison said besides Day, Ali Haines, Dill and Mezger all played solid games for the Wolverines.

Truckee is now tied with Incline for second place at 7-3 in the Sierra League standings, while North Tahoe is in fourth place at 3-5-1. The top four teams advance to the Northern 3A regional tournament.

In the boys’ game, Truckee sophomore Armando Diaz scored the Wolverines’ final two goals late in the first half to provide some breathing room.

Senior Johnny Zarate initiated the scoring in the 14th minute. The speedy senior ran with a through ball that was sent forward by Reed McMullen all the way from the defensive end and deftly kicked it into the side netting with his left foot.

Diaz scored his first goal in the 30th minute off of a cross from Rolando Zarate. He followed with another goal eight minutes later, knocking in the rebound of a blocked shot by David Martinez from point-blank range to extend the lead to 3-0

and#8220;He did well. He doesn’t let up until the ball is done,and#8221; Truckee head coach Casey Eberhardt said of Diaz, referring to the effort on his second score.

The Lakers managed to keep the Wolverines off the board in the second half with a scrappy effort. Sophomore goalie Alex Bourriague, who took over in the goal after the half, also stepped up to stop several Truckee shot attempts, while North Tahoe seniors Hugo Moreno and Felipe Rodriguez came the closest to scoring for the Lakers on a couple of free kicks.

and#8220;I thought we played a good game in the first half, but the second half we let up a bit,and#8221; Eberhardt said. and#8220;That’s one thing we need to work on, is playing a full 80 minutes. But we were able to get a lot of youngsters in there in the second half, so that was good.and#8221;

Second-place Truckee improved to 9-1 in league play while North Tahoe fell to 3-5-1. The Lakers currently are in fifth place in the Sierra League standings.


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