Reno girls spoil Carson's perfect soccer record

It's just a matter of finishing shots for the Carson girls soccer team.

Carson came within inches of keeping its perfect record in tact many times against Reno. But while the Senators' shots seemed to keep finding the post, Reno took advantage of its two best chances for a 2-1 win Tuesday at Carson.

Reno came into the game with two losses, so Carson remains in first place at 8-1.

"That's all right," said Carson Coach Mike Popp, who took the loss in stride. "At least we lost to one of the top teams in the league. We're still top of the list. They're definitely one of the contenders."

The Senators dominated the first half, but it was Reno that scored in the first five minutes of the game after a brief defensive letdown by Carson, sending a shot into the corner of the Senators' net.

Reno's 1-0 lead stood up at halftime only because Carson couldn't quite cash in on many chances. Carson's best chance came when Erin Stieber made a beautiful move to the right and sent a shot that looked like a certain goal. But the shot bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and off the rebound, Erika Landis missed with a shot just wide.

Stieber also sent a crossing pass to Ali Bannister earlier in the half for another excellent chance, but Bannister was denied by Reno's goalie. Later in the half, Bria Dankworth sent a crossing pass to Bannister, who was again denied by the Reno goalie.

At the end of the half, Emily Maier's shot bounced off the crossbar.

"The shots every single time hit the post," Popp said. "We just couldn't get it into the net.

"We just couldn't finish. That's just something we'll definitely work on."

Carson finally broke through to tie the game in the second half on a play started by Stieber, who found Bannister on the right side. Bannister's shot hit the post, but Maier was there to score on the rebound, tying the game 1-1.

Reno, though, scored with seven minutes left after a questionable penalty call on Carson just outside the Senators' goal box. Reno's free kick bounced off the crossbar and the Huskies scored on the rebound.

"The girls did a great job," said Popp about his team. "Reno did a fantastic job. They just happened to capitalize on their shots."