Senior Lauren Hudak (4) battles for posession with Douglas' Hannah Mora Tuesday at DHS.
MINDEN — Yanitzia Perez scored an early goal Tuesday afternoon and the Carson High girls soccer team made it stand for a 1-0 Sierra League season-ending victory against Douglas.
For Carson (15-0-1 league), the win on a windy and overcast day capped off an unbeaten regular season and set the stage for the start of the Northern 4A Region Tournament on Tuesday. Douglas (9-6-1 league, 10-7-1 overall), which played without three starters due to injuries, will advance to the region tournament as the league’s No. 3 seed.
Perez scored in the ninth minute when she blasted in a follow-up shot from about 16 yards. The ball had just caromed away from the Douglas goal in the middle of the box toward Perez, a sophomore who struck a shot to the left side that arched into the back of the net for her 11th goal of the season.
“We had our moments,” Carson coach Greg Lehman said. “We had to weather the storm a few times when we didn’t have the ball, but the girls fought hard to the end.”
In the end, Carson came away with its second 1-0 win over Douglas this season. The Tigers had two shots glance off the crossbar and an apparent goal by Kyla Hinnant was waved off on an offside call, otherwise it was a defensive struggle to the end.
“We had our opportunities,” Douglas coach Werner Christen said. “Give them credit. Carson is real solid in the back. There’s a reason they’re undefeated.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Vanessa Camarena logged her seventh shutout of the season and fifth in six games for the Senators. Carson has allowed eight goals all season.
“She’s gotten better as the season’s gone on,” coach Greg Lehman said. “Her confidence has gotten better and she’s just gotten better with every game.”
Douglas had its best scoring opportunity 15 minutes into the second half when freshman Madison Smalley received a pass from Hinnant and blasted a shot that struck the crossbar and bounced down in front of the goal line, where Camarena gathered in the ball in front of Hinnant.
Valerie Sue Meyer and Hailey Palotas also blocked shot attempts inside the final six minutes to help preserve the shutout.
Likewise, the Tigers received a strong performance from sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Smith.
“She was not pleased with the way she played in the first half,” Christen said of Smith. “But she probably played her best half of the season in that second half. She got great clearance on her punts; those created some opportunities for us.”
Despite absorbing their fifth loss in six games, Christen was pleased with what he saw on the field. Of those six games, five have been decided by 1-0 scores. The Tigers have only allowed six goals in those six games.
“I thought we played very well today, and so did they,” said Christen, whose Tigers open in the playoffs Tuesday against McQueen in Reno.
Carson has posted 10 straight victories since its 1-1 tie at home against McQueen on Sept. 20.
Now, the Senators are looking forward to a first-round playoff contest at home Tuesday at 6 p.m. against either Spanish Springs or Reed. Last year, the Senators clinched the league championship with a 2-0 win at Douglas and then lost a rematch to the rival Tigers in the region semifinals, 3-1.
“This is the start of a brand new season,” Lehman said. “Hopefully, the girls will come in rested and focused because now, it’s one game at a time.”
