Heartbreak loss to McKinley caps tough stretch for Lake football; girls soccer surges ahead of postseason

The last two weeks have been the epitome of frustration for Lake. Twice now, the Blue Streaks have lost by three points to a Federal League foe, and the latest one, a 24-21 loss at McKinley, has dashed Lake’s hopes of a Federal League title.

McKinley took the opening kickoff and methodically drove down the field, taking nearly six minutes off the clock as the Bulldogs had a first-and-goal at Lake’s 5-yard line. Cal Pierce came up with a big interception on third down to squash the drive, however.

McKinley paid Lake back several possessions later when La’Nauz Brown picked off Alex Quior at the Blue Streaks’ 30-yard line and took it to the house for a 7-0 lead. Quior shook off the rare miscue and led Lake on a 59-yard scoring drive capped by a 39-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter to Chase Fuller to tie the game.

The rest of the quarter was all McKinley as Trent Hayden tossed a touchdown pass followed by a field goal, and the Bulldogs took a 17-7 advantage into intermission.

Davis Matson came up big for Lake in the second half as he ran for short touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, each time drawing the Blue Streaks to within three points. The last score occurred with only 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. Lake forced the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1) to punt, but there were mere seconds left on the clock. With time running out, Quior threw his third interception of the game, and that was it for the Blue Streaks (6-2, 2-2).

Matson finished the game with 21 carries for 105 yards and two scores, while Quior was 11-of-26 for 154 yards and a touchdown. Zach Novak hauled in three passes for 65 yards, while Fuller caught three for 43 yards, including his touchdown.

Girls Soccer

Now this is the way to prepare for the postseason. The Blue Streaks kicked it into gear during the last week of their regular season by notching wins over Hoover and Riverside. With the victories, Lake has won four of its last five as it prepares for its Division II Northeast 1 District sectional final match at home against Shaker Heights on Oct. 16.

First up was an Oct. 8 visit to Hoover for the final Federal League match of the season, and the Blue Streaks took a 1-0 halftime lead en route to a 2-0 shutout of the Vikings. Kyla Brinton and Anaïs Gerbetz each found the back of the net for Lake, which finished 2-4 in conference play. Hailey Cooper recorded the shutout in goal.

On Oct. 11, the Blue Streaks made short work of Riverside in a nonconference match, scoring six first-half goals to finish with a 9-2 win.

Brinton scored four goals and dished out an assist to lead Lake (11-6), while April Fockler recorded two goals and four assists. With her four goals, Brinton — who is only a junior — tied and then set the school record for most goals scored in a career. Gerbetz and Kate Ford also scored goals, and Jenna Anderson and Alina Patel each logged an assist.

Boys Soccer

Lake ended its regular season with two shutout home losses to Hoover on Oct. 7 and New Philadelphia on Oct. 9. The Vikings led 2-0 at intermission on their way to a 4-0 win that ended Lake’s conference mark at 1-5.

Against New Philadelphia, the Blue Streaks fell 5-0 to close their regular season at 1-13-2. Results were not made available for either match.