Lady Reds avenge lone 2017 loss in opener

HARRAH – A 2017 state championship finish and 18-game winning streak to close out the season weren’t enough to satisfy the Lady Reds soccer team. 
There were teams left unconquered that deserved their respect, and Clinton went and got some in its 4-3 season-opening win over the Harrah Lady Panthers Friday. 
Clinton’s senior class finally got off the Harrah snide with a win. This group had never beaten Harrah, losing all three prior contests including the team’s only loss in an 18-1 championship season last year. The Lady Reds talked all week about wanting to get a win. It wasn’t a pretty start, but they came out on top outscoring Harrah, 3-1, in the second half.
“(We) just started realizing our mistakes and talking about them at halftime,” head coach Eugene Jefferson said after the win. “I knew we were going to make some mistakes on defense, because that was our first time playing together since last year with Jessica (Jefferson) and Aleisha (Hester) being out. 
“In the second half, I thought we came out and played with great effort. I think we only allowed one goal the entire second half. Mental letdowns and not attacking the ball in the first half cost us.”
The first half played out similarly to last year’s 3-1 loss. Clinton put a lot of shots on goal that never found the back of the net, while the Lady Panthers took advantage of their few strikes at Clinton’s goal. Ariana Borjas drew first blood with a sneaky finish just past the keeper to give Clinton a 1-0 lead. From there, the Lady Panthers took advantage of two defensive miscues and scored two goals off the left side to flip the lead, 2-1, at the break.
In the second half Clinton found its groove. The offense turned up the heat and blitzed Harrah’s backend with an array of close-range strikes. The Lady Reds finally broke their will and scored on a rebound from Macey Fernandez. 
Just a few minutes later Harrah would take the lead back at the 64-minute mark. However Aubrey Gonzales knotted it back up just 34 seconds later on another rebound shot making it 3-3. The intensity continued and Harrah couldn’t contain Clinton, recording a foul in the box for a penalty kick. 
Gonzales was called upon for the PK. The goalie knew where Gonzales wanted to put the ball, but it didn’t matter, as she sent a laser past the keeper into the left upper 90 to break the tie, 4-3. Clinton’s defense hung on with some key plays down the stretch by Hester and Jefferson, sealing up a 1-0 start for Clinton and pushing the team’s win streak to 19.

Reds 10
Panthers 0
Harrah never stood a chance in this one. Clinton put this game to rest early, scoring six goals in the game’s first 18 minutes. It looked effortless, as Dimas DeLeon, the game’s leading scorer, netted a goal in the first 43 seconds off a close-range shot. Five minutes later, Gustavo Guzman put his bid in for goal of the year already, using a heel flick to place the ball over the keeper’s head and just out of his reach for goal No. 2.
In all, DeLeon ended up with four goals and a hat trick before the end of the first half. Harrah scored an own goal credited to Roberto Solis in the first as well. The Reds took a little time getting their final two goals in the second half, but they finished the game off with 25 minutes still left on the clock when DeLeon hammered home his fourth.
Clinton’s offense this year is a who’s who for talent in western Oklahoma. Midfielders Jose Salas, Gustavo Guzman, Juan Martinez and forwards Nalan Kentner and DeLeon passed in between each other like it was a defender-less practice. The intensity they displayed even up 8-0 at the half really put their potential into perspective for Jefferson.
“It was the communication and passing,” he said. “We know each other. To me, it just seems like every game we’re getting better at passing. It’s one of those things where the kids like playing with each other, and they’re putting the ball where we need it to be. The passing was tremendous.”
Clinton outshot Harrah 18-0, as starting goalkeeper Jovani Lopez earned a win and clean sheet in his first start.
Both teams return to the pitch for their home opener at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. today versus rival Elk City.