One would be hard-pressed to find a hotter player in Northern 4A girls soccer than Carson High's Josilyn Daggs.
Daggs, the Senators' ultra-quick forward, scored her second in hat trick in three games to lead Carson to a a 3-2 win over visiting Bishop Manogue Saturday.
Carson, by virtue of its win, improved to 12-3 and will host a first-round playoff game on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. The win also avenged one of Carson's three losses. The other two came at the hands of Douglas.
"Our defense played really well," Carson coach Randy Roser said. "They are moving well and our midfield is tough. It's always good (to avenge a loss). Josilyn played well.
"We didn't connect passes as well as I'd like. We played a lot of balls to the other team. Manogue played tough. They will be tough in zone."
Indeed. Manogue is the only team to beat both Douglas and Carson this year. It's a team that Carson could see again in less than two weeks.
The teams traded goals throughout the match with Daggs getting the game winner in the 65 minute to snap a 2-all tie.
Daggs gave Carson a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute when she scored on a breakaway.
"The defense came up and I just touched it past the keeper," said Daggs.
After Manogue tied the game at 1, Daggs gave Carson a 2-1 lead right before the half.
"Emmy (Heller) kicked the ball and I ran onto it at about the 30-yard-line," Daggs said. "I dribbled to about the 5-yard-line and beat the keeper."
Manogue tied the game in approximately the 50th minute, but Daggs untied the game again in the 65th minute and blasted one low and into the left corner under the reach of the Manogue keeper.
"We couldn't believe we lost to them the first time," Daggs said. "We knew we could come back and get them back."
Carson has a potent offense with Daggs and Kenzie Tillitt doing the bulk of the damage, Kaitlyn Holmes has scored some big goals this year, too.
Roser said that his team, especially the younger players, need to do a better job of finishing plays. The Carson coach said Daggs missed two other really good opportunities.
BOYS: CARSON 4, MANOGUE 0
Carson got some great news earlier this week when the NIAA upheld the Senators' 3-0 win against Hug which gave Carson the regular-season title.
The only downside to that was that Jason Martinez and Christian Espinoza, after film review were given red cards for leaving the bench during the on-field fight, thus were ineligible to play Saturday against Manogue.
The Senators didn't need them, as Carson scored all of its goals in a span of 21 minutes in the second half to walk away with an easy win.
Carson is 11-2-2 entering Tuesday's 7 p.m. home finale against Galena.
There wasn't much fanfare after Saturday's win.
"The guys knew they had won the title after we got the Hug points back," Carson coach Eric Masters said. "We have bigger fish to fry."
Carson outshot Manogue 12-4 in the first half, but the game was scoreless after the first 40 minutes.
"Yeah it was frustrating," Masters said. "They were defending us with a lot of guys (bunched in the middle). They did a good job not to give up anything."
Sam Hutchinson had four good looks, but wasn't able to finish. Evan Sanchez hit the left post.
Hutchinson did give Carson a 1-0 lead when he came on to a loose ball and beat the Manogue keeper.
"I saw it come out to me and I tucked it away," Hutchinson said.
About 14 minutes later, Sanchez made it 2-0, and in a span of three minutes Carlos Alvarez and Omar Garcia each scored to make it 4-0. Alvarez was recently promoted from the JV squad.
"He (Alvarez) is a tireless worker," Masters said. "He's Joe's (Briggs, JV coach) best player. I told him I was going to play him as a forward. He's a big guy and has a knack for scoring goals."
Michael Samii, who along with Zach Smith, controlled things in the back row said it was a different Carson team in the second half.
"We weren't playing like we should have been in the first half," Samii said. "We played with more intensity (in the second)."
GALENA 5, DOUGLAS 2
MINDEN - Galena spotted Douglas a 1-0 lead and then scored four unanswered goals to grab an easy win on Saturday.
Tay Simms-Lopez scored Douglas' first goal off a cross from Jay Pappas, who scored the Tigers' second goal.
Douglas fell to 2-11-2.
JV GIRLS: CARSON 3, MANOGUE 1
Maddie Ferguson, Lydia Lopez and Abbey Greene all scored goals to lead the Senators to victory.
Danielle Sandage had two assists for Carson. CHS goalie Carly Bachman was credited with seven saves.
JV BOYS: DOUGLAS BLANKED
MINDEN - Galena rolled to a 5-0 win over the Tigers on Saturday. No other information was available.