La Cueva edges Cats on PKs

CMI staff

ALBUQUERQUE — Clovis High’s bid for victory against traditional Class 5A power La Cueva came down to penalty kicks on Friday — and the Wildcats fell short.

Leading 1-0 early in the second half, the Cats fell two goals behind, but rallied to force overtime with a pair of goals in the final moments. The Bears, though, posted a 3-1 edge on penalty kicks after two scoreless overtime periods and claimed a 4-3 win.

“The guys fought hard,” CHS coach Greg Trujillo said. “I’m proud of them. We took it to the finish, but we came up short.”

Senior defender Javier Navarrette scored in the eighth minute for the Cats (3-6), and that lead held up until sophomore Aaron Otto, Junior Alex Villalobos and senior Noah Michelson had goals during the second half. Then freshman Alejandro Medina and junior Josh Otero brought the Cats back with goals in the final six minutes of regulation.

“We fought hard to get back into the game,” Trujillo said. “That’s just the way it goes. We had opportunities in the overtimes, but we were a little unlucky.”

The Cats have a quick turnaround today, playing a 1 p.m. match at Albuquerque High.