Goddard slips past Cats in OT

CLOVIS - Clovis High boys soccer team was a gnat's eyelash away from avenging an earlier four-goal loss to Roswell Goddard on Monday night at Leon Williams Stadium.

Instead, junior Drex Carter's cross-goal shot in sudden-death overtime clanged off the left post, and the Rockets were able to pull out a 4-3 win when junior forward/midfielder Kenneth Velarde scored from in front about midway through the second extra session.

Goddard (12-2) handed the Cats a 5-1 setback in a late-August tournament at Los Alamos. Monday's tilt was the makeup of a match postponed a couple of weeks ago due to a scheduling conflict for officials.

"We had our chances in the first overtime," CHS coach Greg Trujillo said. "Drex just hit the left post."

The Wildcats (4-7-1) were able to contain Goddard standout Oscar Varela most of the way, but he managed to force bonus cantos at 3-3 with a goal in the closing minutes.

"We did a good job of shutting him down, for the most part," Trujillo said. "We played good enough to win."

Sophomore forward Ihab Mesbah had a pair of goals for the Cats, while sophomore forward Angel Nunez gave Clovis a 3-2 lead with a tally in the 50th minute. Junior forward/midfielder Victor Diaz scored Goddard's first two goals.

On Saturday at Leon Williams:

Clovis boys 4, Belen 1 - Junior goalkeeper Emilio Jurado kept the Eagles in it for most of the first half with several outstanding saves, but CHS took control with goals from Mesbah and Nunez in the final 15 minutes of the stanza.

The Cats had a 12-3 edge in shots on goal for the match as Nunez scored twice. Belen (2-7) averted a shutout when sophomore defender Julian Jurado scored in the 72nd minute.

"It feels good to get a win," CHS senior goalkeeper D.J. Maldonado said. "I think we played good as a team.

"Jose (Valverde) really held us together on defense. He kept communicating and talking with the team."

Trujillo said the Cats played well, but he thought they should have been able to finish the whitewash.

"I think when we got up 2-0, we kind of relaxed," he said. "Usually when you get a lead like that everybody wants to score, but we were still moving the ball pretty well."

Clovis is slated for its third consecutive home outing when the Cats host Lovington in a 6 p.m. start on Thursday.

Clovis girls 9, Belen 0 - Senior midfielder Caley Adams and junior midfielder/defender Courtney Bradley posted the Lady Wildcats' third hat trick of the week, with Adams scoring twice in the first 10 minutes.

Leading 3-0, Clovis (11-2) broke it wide open with four goals in a span of about 10 minutes midway through the second half before Bradley added the final two tallies in the last two minutes.

CHS notched a 20-1 advantage over the Lady Eagles (4-5) in shot on goal, and had all six corner kicks in the contest.

Lady Cats coach Ray Rodriguez said his squad played with good energy and effort. The team should face a much tougher challenge when it travels to Albuquerque on Friday to face Cibola.

"You could tell they were ready from the get-go," Rodriguez said. "We've got four days now to recoup. (Cibola's) going to be a really tough test for us, and then district starts."

Clovis collected nine assists in the tilt, including two each for Adams and junior Alexia Eilenstine.

Rams fall to NMMI - New Mexico Military posted a 4-1 boys soccer victory over Portales High on Saturday at the PHS pitch.

The Colts (4-5) took a 2-1 lead into halftime, and added two insurance goals in the final segment.

PHS (3-4) returns to action on Saturday in Santa Fe, taking on Academy of Technology & The Classics at 1 p.m. Girls squads meet in the first half of the twin bill, set for 11 a.m.