Shorthanded Turlock tops Merced in CCC soccer

TURLOCK – With three matches to play, there’s still quite a bit to be decided in the race for the Central California Conference girls soccer title. Still, Merced has to feel it let an opportunity get away at Joe Debely Field on Tuesday night.

Turlock went down to 10 players 10 minutes into the second half when Sophie Warda was issued a straight red card for kicking a Merced player. Instead of pressing the advantage, the change seemed to hurt the Bears.

The Bears got away from their meticulous passing game that controlled the match for the better part of 50 minutes and began feeding balls harmlessly over the top of the Turlock defense. It set the stage for a mishandled free kick in the 67th minute and the Bulldogs’ Kishauna Mavis punching in the rebound to give Turlock a 1-0 victory.

The win gives the Bulldogs (10-4-2, 9-2-1 CCC) a three-point edge on the Bears (12-4-2, 8-3-1) for first place.

“A stoppage ball on a set piece is always dangerous, no matter how many people are on the field,” Merced coach Bladimir Murillo said. “Their girl was the first to react.

“You can’t blame the kids for wanting to get the ball up into the attack as fast as possible; unfortunately, it got us out of our game.”

The goal came from a free kick from about 35 yards out. Fallon Beaber launched a high ball on goal that Bears goalkeeper Jessika McClesky (five saves) couldn’t handle cleanly amidst the throng of bodies in the 18-yard box.

The ball caromed Mavis’ way at the far post, and she was just able to muscle it across the line past a diving McClesky.

“It’s tough to work your butts off all game and then have it end on a goal like that,” McClesky said. “I never got a good handle on the first ball, but thought I had time to save the rebound. She was just faster than me.”

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 11:08 PM with the headline "Shorthanded Turlock tops Merced in CCC soccer."