SOCCER: Douglas strikes fast, beats Carson

MINDEN - Much like the flashes of lightning lighting up the night sky south of Keith Roman Field on Tuesday night, the Douglas High girls' soccer team struck strong and quick against rival Carson High.

Douglas rode a pair of early goals to a 2-0 win in the battle of Sierra League heavyweights.

Cora Moody scored on an assist from Tia Lyons just two minutes in and Katie Dry added Douglas' second goal on a breakaway in the 22nd minute.

"It turned our way pretty quick," Douglas coach Lorraine Fitzhugh said. "We were connecting the ball and that got us out of the gates really well. It was a team effort and everyone had their heads in the game. We were thrilled with the result."

Douglas improved to 4-0 in league play with the win while Carson dropped to 3-1.

Carson coach Randy Roser said his team's slow start was partly due to the dimensions of Douglas' field.

"It usually takes the whole first half to get used to playing out here every year," Roser said. "It's about 20 yards narrower and the short turf plays very fast.

"You can't take anything away from Douglas though. They played well, put points on the board. We had a lot of opportunities, but it just didn't happen tonight."

A lot of opportunities indeed.

Carson drew a penalty kick in the 17th minute when Josilyn Daggs was taken down in the penalty box. Carson's Kenzie Tillitt took the kick, which travelled on the ground toward the center of the net.

Tillitt wasn't around to see the finish of the game after drawing two yellow cards.

Douglas keeper Bri Randall, who had four saves in posting the shutout, made a nice stop on the shot.

After Douglas' quick start, Carson settled in and started stringing some nice scoring opportunities together. The Tigers finished with only a 13-12 advantage in shots.

Carson got especially close to getting on the board in the second half on a series of breakaways that included Daggs just missing wide on an open net.

"It's a night were you see our youth," Roser said, "Under pressure we were just firing away on some of those chances. But the chances were there.

"You can't be upset. It's a good rivalry and you hate to lose, but we had the opportunities. We just didn't finish them. Douglas played well. They always do. They came out on top this time."