SPARKS - The Carson Senators have been the class of Northern Nevada's large-school girls soccer field so far this fall.
The Senators went to Reed with an undefeated record. It left Reed without a loss Saturday, but it didn't hang a defeat on their hosts either.
Reed was unfazed by a two-goal deficit at halftime. The Raiders rallied to force a 2-2 deadlock and earned a tie in a crossover league affair. The match marked just the second time this fall Carson (9-0-2) had failed to post a win.
The tie allowed Reed (5-4-2) to snap out of a recent tailspin that included a three-game losing skid.
"We talked after the loss Tuesday at Reno that this was about character, not soccer," Reed coach Jason Saville said. "To come back from down to goals against a great team like Carson, we found out today what the character of this team is."
Carson sophomore Karla Reyes tallied the first goal of the match when she drilled a shot into the Reed net at the 15-minute mark.
The Senators wasted no time extending their edge. Just a minute later, senior Michelle Sandage scored an unassisted goal for Carson for a 2-0 lead.
From there, the Reed defense settled back in and stopped the bleeding, leaving the scoreboard to read 2-0 at halftime.
The Reed offense came to life in the second half. It didn't take long after the intermission for the Raiders to cut into Carson's lead.
In the 44th minute, Reed's Kennady Whitehead beat the Senators defense for an unassisted goal and the score was 2-1.
It looked like Carson might still get away with the win. Neither team scored for the next 20-plus minutes, but Reed wasn't about to leave with a loss.
In the 68th minute, Reed was awarded a penalty kick and Whitehead cashed in, burying the freebie in the Senators' net and knotting score at 2.
"We didn't play our game," Carson coach Greg Lehman said. "We didn't step up. We let this get away from us ... We were up 2-0, but Reed did what it had to do to get the tie. When you're up two goals, it would've been nice to get the win; so yes a tie is frustrating.
"We got a little sloppy. We just weren't as intense. We knew how good Reed was, but we didn't have our 'A' game. And if you don't bring that, anyone can play with you."
Reed, which was also playing without two key players - all-league candidates Vanessa Arzaluz and Katelynn Raatz, nearly stole a win. In the 78th minute, Reed's Kendra Bujnovsky sent a high-arcing corner kick into the middle of the Carson defensive box, but no Raiders could control the cross and get off a clean shot.
Shortly thereafter, in stoppage time, Reed freshman Lindsay Marsh corralled a loose ball in the Carson box and got a clean look at the Senators' net but she sent a shot just inches wide, keeping the tie intact.
• Carson's JV girls defeated Reed 1-0 with the lone goal coming in the 78th minute as Melissa Glanzmann scored off of a low cross from Josie Veneziano. Veneziano and Kim Reyes combined in goal for the shutout.
CROSS COUNTRY
Drozdoff finishes 19th at Clovis
FRESNO, Calif. - Alex Drozdoff finished 19th in the D-II varsity race Saturday to lead Carson to a 13th-place finish at the Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park.
Drozdoff was timed in 19:11. Cindy Juchtzer finished 70th in 20:38, Shelby Brown was 98th in 21 minutes, Allison Greene was 163rd in 22:57 and Maritsa Mora was 176th in 24:05.
The Carson boys finished 27th.
Nick Greene was the top CHS finisher at 88th (17:05) out of 199 entries. Daniel Jauregui was 132nd in 17:33, Porforio Jauregui was 146th in 17:48, Chris Merriner was 157th in 18 minutes, Tylar Chester was 172nd in 18:19 and Bryen Holloway was 182nd in 18:45.
Dayton fares well in Winnemucca
WINNEMUCCA - Aaron Elissa and Katrina Breithaupt each finished second in their respective races Friday afternoon at the Winnemucca golf course.
Elissa ran a 16:39. Syler Rose was 13th in 17:30, Joe Law was 18th in 18:10, Nick Langstaff was 22nd in 18:27, Philip Hevener was 30th n 18:57 and David White was 40th in 19:50. The top four finishers for Dayton took 90 seconds off their times from last year.
Breithaupt ran a 19:23, 34 seconds behind the winner from Elko. Hanna Elissa was 23rd in 23:44.
Dayton runs at the Sparks Invitational at Rancho San Rafael on Friday.
VOLLEYBALL
Muckers sweep Hawthorne
Virginia City improved to 6-1 in league and 14-3 overall with 25-15, 25-22 and 25-15 win over Hawthorne Saturday afternoon.
Nikki D'Agostino had six aces, five kills and four digs for VC. Corinna Obermayr added four kills and four digs. Lea Laney contributed two kills and six digs.
The JV team improved to 7-0 with a 25-22 and 25-12 win.
Reed sweeps Dayton
SPARKS - Reed knocked off Dayton 25-17, 25-15 and 25-19 in a nonleague match on Saturday.
Madison Foley led the Dust Devils with 21 kills, four assists and five digs,, while Alyse Fletcher had 15 assists and four digs. Taryn Schriner added nine digs and an assist. Ashley Vickers had three kills and three digs.
The freshmen and JV squads swept Reed.
