Carson ties with Hug despite shot advantage

Carson girls soccer had plenty of chances to break its scoreless tie with Hug Saturday, but the back line of the Hawks didn’t budge as the two squads ended in a 0-0 draw.

From the early going the Senators controlled the pace of play, moving the ball through the Hawks’ midfield and breaking in on goal.

As the shots on goal continued from every angle, Hug’s keeper found a way to keep each and every one of them out of the net.

“She was making some great saves,” said Carson head coach Kyle Walt. “She was everywhere today. ... We had a ton of opportunities we just didn’t capitalize.”

Sophomore Natalyn Wakeling and freshman Alyssa Tomita had arguably the best chances at finding the back of the net for the Senators.

In the 33rd minute Wakeling hit Scout Bourgeois with a pass on a breakaway, but Bourgeois’ shot sailed over the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Wakeling had another opportunity turned away by the Hawks’ freshman keeper.

Tomita added two more shots on goal before the half.

Hug earned an opportunity early on in the second half, but its best chance at a tie-breaking goal was turned away by Carson goalie Larissa Rael.

Walt emphasized throughout the game and afterward that the Senators were trying to keep the ball ‘in between the lines.’

“We were getting a lot of that in the first and second half,” said Walt. “But we just weren’t getting the ball into the funnel right at the end.”

The Senators had two more chances in the remaining minutes of regulation as Gracie Walt had a shot turned away in the 70th minute. Walt then found Kaylee Garcia in the 73rd minute on a cross, but also found the same result.

Many of the Senators opportunities came through play from the midfield and the defense being able to push the ball forward into the attack zone before either shooting or dumping a pass off to an open teammate.

Unofficially, Carson ended the contest with 17 shots on goal.

“We got to keep our heads up, keep taking shots and keep getting into positions we want to be in,” said Walt. “We took a lot of shots on goal and we were happy with it.”

UP NEXT: Carson (1-6-1) will host Reno (2-2) Tuesday in its final non-league contest before opening league play with Galena next Saturday.