Carson High's dream of an unbeaten and untied season came to a screeching halt Tuesday night at the hands of second-place South Tahoe.
The Vikings got goals from Bailey Flood and Cybil Robinson in a 14-minute span of the second half to wipe out a one-goal deficit and tie the Senators 2-2 in a Sierra League girls soccer match Tuesday night.
The loss blemished Carson's undefeated and untied status. Carson is 9-0-1 in league play and 14-0-1 overall with games against Wooster and Reno left on the schedule.
"The last 20 minutes we fell off defensively too early," Carson coach Randy Roser said. "We backed off and didn't challenge for the ball. They are fit now. I thought we won the first time because of our fitness."
South Tahoe outshot Carson 11-9, and most of those South Tahoe attempts came in the second half.
And, despite the fact that Carson faltered in the second half, the Senators almost pulled it out.
Seconds before the final whistle sounded, South Tahoe goalie Ellie Vermillion came well out from the goal in an attempt to scoop the ball up or kick it away. Carson got a shot off but it sailed wide left.
The play brought back memories of the first game at South Tahoe. In that meeting, Carson's Kayla Sanchez scored a controversial goal when Vermillion couldn't smother the ball when she came out of the goal area.
"It was a great game," said South Tahoe coach Jose Gonzalez. "It was basically the same thing as the first game. We knew we would have to play them tough. Carson is one of the best teams out there."
This game was comparable to the last one in terms of physical play and controversial calls. Each team was awarded a penalty kick, and neither call should have been made according to Roser.
"I didn't see the handball we were called for," he said. "The penalty kick that we got I wouldn't have called. The players were just going after the ball."
Carson led 2-1 on a goal in the 2nd minute by Kasey Kano and after Samantha Valerius converted a penalty kick in the 56th minute when a South Tahoe defender tripped up Danielle Benamati in the penalty box.
Seven minutes later, Robinson found the left corner of the net, as Carson goalie Allison Otto was unable to slide over to make the play.
The Vikings kept up the pressure the rest of the way, but was unable to finish any scoring opportunities.
"We were 14-0 coming in, and everybody's gunning for you," Roser said. "They came out to play.
"We built well and shot the ball well. We have to work on our defense."
Notes: The Senators played without Sanchez, and will also play without her on Saturday when they travel to Reno to play Wooster.
Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281
