Alyia McCarthy cares for her injured quad last May and is now playing stellar soccer again
Lynae McCarthy concentrates as she brings the ball up the field
By Anna Bernard
When the Mad River United U17 Girls soccer team travels south to play, they often enjoy warmer and drier weather. This was not the case on their recent trip to the Santa Rosa area. Severe stormy weather accompanied the travelers from their departure to their return to Humboldt County. No matter the weather, these soccer trips are necessary to prepare for the California State Cup tournament which takes place in March.
On Saturday, February 23rd at 8pm, the Mad River U17 Girls soccer team played against the Petaluma Fury U19 team at the Lucchesi turf Fields. Coach Nick Parker noted “It is not uncommon for soccer teams to merge once they get into their late teens. This Petaluma team was the result of an older U19 team merging with a younger U16 team.” The Mad River team is also made up of a mix of Freshman, Sophomore and Juniors. No matter their ages, all the girls arrived ready to play some serious soccer. The rain, wind and cold made the playing conditions difficult but both teams played on. Their defensive efforts were rewarded by a 0-0 score at the end of the first half. Mad River’s Center Midfielder Alyia McCarthy scored the only goal of the game, just seven minutes before the final whistle. “Alyia was working hard and really having a major impact on many of the plays. She honestly deserved her goal.” said Parker. Mad River’s defense and goalie Selina Bernard came away with a shutout. After the game, Coach Parker commented, “The United backline demonstrated their best (and most composed) outlet passing of the entire year, even under atrocious weather conditions. This "transition work" allowed us to take the game to the opposition in the second half of the game.”
On Sunday, February 24th at 12:30, Mad River faced more rain and wind in a game against a Santa Rosa Gold U16 team at the Trione turf fields in Santa Rosa. The first goal was scored only seven minutes into the half when a pass back to the United sweeper was intercepted by a Santa Rosa forward. Ten minutes later, Santa Rosa hit their mark again with a nearly perfect shot beyond the reach of Mad River goalie Keri Lorig. In the second half, with the wind on their backs and Selina Bernard in the United goal, the Mad River defense stepped up the pace and kept the Santa Rosa Gold team from scoring. Coach Nick Parker stated “Lynae McCarthy played well both offensively and defensively. She really made a difference in the outcome of the game.” “Lynae’s sister Alyia was always in the midst of the action and making things happen.” continued Parker. Despite their efforts, Mad River was unable to cash in against Santa Rosa. The final score was 2-0 for Santa Rosa Gold.
The next games for Mad River will be at the Northern California Spring College Showcase Tournament on March 8th and 9th in Redwood City. Mad River will face other Division 1 teams as well as Premier Teams during the 2 day tournament. The Juventus Sports Club is hosting this tournament to enable College Coaches to scout out the talent on the fields. More information about the Spring College Tournament can be found on their website. http://www.juventussportclub.org/
