The Lady Eagles took their first step toward a coveted North Coast Section Division-3 soccer title on Saturday, slipping past a stubborn Clear Lake squad 1-0 in overtime at Jack Allen Stadium.
Dora Soto tallied the lone goal of the match with just one minute left in the second overtime period, taking a pass from teammate Hannah Faso and driving into the net for a dramatic victory. Credit goalie Bailey Creager with the shutout for the Eagles.
The hard-fought win pushed Cloverdale’s season record to 18-2 and propelled the team into the NCS semi-finals against none other than arch-rival Middletown.
At press time the third-seeded Eagles were preparing to meet the second-seeded Mustangs for the fourth time this season on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in a 7 p.m. showdown in Middletown.
The teams split a pair matches during the regular season to share the NCL-1 title, and Middletown recorded a 3-1 win in the rubber match for the automatic NCS berth on Oct. 29.
Familiarity will be the rule for both teams in the fourth meeting, with the match coming down to pure execution.
“We think we can go deep into the playoffs and if we play well, get into the championship game,” Eagles veteran coach Steve Stewart said. “We feel we can go to Middletown and win if we limit our mistakes.”
