Division III state soccer: Incline boys, North Tahoe girls advance to championship
swright@sierrasun.com
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Incline boys soccer team advanced to the Division III state final with a hard-fought, 1-0 win over rival North Tahoe on Friday.
The second-seeded Highlanders will now face fourth-seeded Yerington, which upset top-seeded West Wendover, 1-0, in two overtime periods Friday, on Saturday at 1 p.m.
After 73 minutes of scoreless play against the Lakers, Incline senior Rey Estrada put in the go-ahead goal with a header off of a perfectly placed cross by freshman Michael Callejas. It was Estrada’s first game back after sitting out the entire regular season with a knee injury.
“It was my first game, so it was very emotional,” Estrada said. “I really wanted to cry, but I said, ‘Nah.’”
The Highlanders and Lakers had split their two regular-season meetings.
“We’re happy. They played us great. They played us a lot stronger than the last time we met,” said Incline coach Michael Coudriet, referring to a 5-0 Incline win on Oct. 27. “Obviously having Rey back was a huge boost.”
Said North Tahoe coach Beto Alcaraz: “I thought we played out hearts out. We came out with intensity and talked about playing smart and applying pressure. But they got the one score, and that’s the way it goes.”
Incline girls fall to Warriors
In a rematch of last year’s state final, Incline senior Vanessa Andrade scored two goals against defending state champion Whittell on Friday, but it wasn’t enough as the Warriors came out on top, 3-2.
“We had some really good moments and some really sketchy moments, which is when we gave up goals,” Incline coach Tom Canino said. “It was a battle. We had our chances.”
Whittell took an early lead with a goal by Samantha Forvilly in the 15th minute and extended it to 2-0 three minutes later on a goal by Angela Stetler.
Andrade narrowed the margin to 2-1 in the final three minutes of the first half, but the Warriors again went up by two with a goal by Alison Copsy in the 54th minute.
“We were pushing pretty good at the start of the second half, but when they got that third goal it was an uphill battle from there,” Canino said.
Andrade scored her second goal 11 minutes later to adjust the score to 3-2. The Warriors held the Highlanders off the board the final 15 minutes to advance to the state final.
“We’re definitely happy with the way things turned out. It was a physical game. It shows the rivalry with these two teams,” Whittell coach David Caputo said.
The Warriors, seeded No. 2 in the state tournament, will face top-seeded North Tahoe, a 3-0 winner over White Pine, on Saturday at 11 a.m.
North Tahoe girls blank Bobcats
With the temperature dropping on a chilly late afternoon, the North Tahoe girls advanced to the state final with a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded White Pine.
Senior Valencia Covell scored the Lakers’ first goal on the rebound of a shot by Bryn Anderson in the 19th minute. North Tahoe added a second goal before the half and added an insurance goal in the second frame to secure the win.
North Tahoe will meet Whittell in the state final Saturday at 11 a.m. The teams split during the regular season, with the Lakers defeating the Warriors 2-1 in their first meeting on Sept 16, and Whittell winning 5-2 on Oct. 14.
Anderson, the Lakers’ top scorer, did not play in the loss, however.
“She’s a very dangerous player,” Caputo said of Anderson. “It should be a good game.”
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.