Lady Cats shut out Portales

Staff writer

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The Lady Rams and Lady Wildcats knew Thursday’s matchup on the pitch would be in threat of cancellation due to weather, and even with the start time moved up an hour to 5 p.m., the weather had the final say.

link Clovis defender Kylee Brooks dribbles past Portales striker Angie Gonzalez during the first half of Thursday’s girls soccer match at Yucca Middle School. The Lady Wildcats beat the Lady Rams 6-0 in a match halted by lightning midway through the second half.

The contest was called midway through the second half, giving Clovis a 6-0 victory.

Senior Jaci Sievers got the Lady Wildcats (6-2-1) on the board in the seventh minute with assists from Kileigh Dlouhy and Sofia Rico. Rico later added two more goals for Clovis, one in the first half and the lone goal in the second half.

“I think we were connecting passes and finishing early,” Clovis coach Traci Sievers said. “We were trying to be aggressive with shots early on because we knew weather would probably be a factor.”

The weather certainly was a factor as lightning warnings took place about 61 minutes into the game, forcing it to be called.

For Portales (5-5), not much went right on offense or defense, as Clovis had a 15-3 advantage with shots on goal. However, Lady Rams keeper Zully De La Torre did have nine saves.

“We’re just not communicating,” Portales coach Ruben Tellez said. “We need to talk more on defense and quit watching the ball. For some reason we’re struggling. I think it’s one of those times we’re just in a rut.

“We’re not giving up. Maybe this will teach us it’s the little mistakes that are killing us. It’s not that we’re not any good, we’re just being outhustled and not being at the right place at the right time."

Clovis did hold the statistical advantage, but Sievers knew her team had to work for this victory.

“Portales was real physical,” Sievers said. “They were challenging everything. It’s great preparation for our conference (schedule).”

District play for Clovis begins next with the Lady Cats traveling to Albuquerque to take on Eldorado (4-2-1) on Tuesday.

The Lady Rams still have a few more matches before district play begins for them. Before district games, Portales has a quick turnaround as they will return to their home pitch Saturday to take on the St. Michael’s Lady Horsemen (3-2). Tellez wants to make sure his Friday practice addresses the issues his team faced against Clovis.

“We’re going to work on our defense and talking tomorrow,” he said. “Hopefully this will get us ready for conference play. Clovis played a good game. Got to give them credit.”