Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
CHS junior goalkeeper Andrea Chavez lunges forward to make a save during the Lady Wildcats' match against Artesia on Tuesday at Leon Williams Stadium. The Lady Cats played to ties this week against Artesia (1-1) and at Roswell Goddard on Thursday (0-0).
ROSWELL – For the second time in three nights, the Clovis High girls soccer team found itself not losing, but not winning either.
Thursday night, the Lady Wildcats battled Roswell Goddard to a scoreless standoff. They now stand at 3-6-2 for the season.
"We had some good plays," CHS girls coach Ray Rodriguez said. "The buildup was there, but the finishing (plays) wasn't.
"(On offense,) we shot it right at the goalkeeper. And our shots weren't from very far out."
Rodriguez said junior goalkeeper Andrea Chavez made several good stops, including one on a penalty kick in the second half.
Clovis was slated to play at Santa Fe High on Saturday. The team's next outing will be on Thursday against Roswell Goddard in a 6:30 p.m. start at Leon Williams Stadium.
Clovis 1, Artesia 1 (Tuesday) – The Lady Cats, who dropped a 4-1 decision at Artesia on August 24, earned a draw in this one at Leon Williams Stadium when eighth-grader Jaya Gonzales scored her first goal of the season in the second half. The Lady Bulldogs (6-2-1), ranked third in Class 4A, got on the board in the first half, and neither team was able to strike again through two overtimes.
Gonzales was able to squeeze between two Artesia defenders and slip her shot into the net from well inside the 18-yard box.
"I thought it was a big improvement for my girls," Rodriguez said. "I told them if they could control the middle (against Artesia), good things could happen."
Junior keeper Andrea Chavez had a solid game in goal, Rodriguez said.
"She made a couple of solid saves in the second half (to keep the Lady Cats in it)," he said.
Boys – The Wildcats had a breather on Tuesday, routing Pojoaque 11-1 in a match played at Yucca Complex.
Senior forward Ihab Mesbah scored five goals and added three assists for the Cats (7-2), who led 5-0 at halftime and spent the second half sprinkling subs liberally into the match.
"I played a lot of younger guys, and I got to put them in a lot of different positions," Cats coach Gabe Trujillo said.
Freshman Alex Ochoa replaced senior starter Angel Avila in goal for the second half. The Class 4A Elks (0-7) got their only tally on a shot from about 35 yards out.
The Cats were slated to play at Las Cruces High on Saturday. They visit Portales in a 6:30 p.m. clash on Tuesday night.
