MOSES LAKE – Despite a strong first half where Moses Lake shut out the visiting Eastmont Wildcats, the Mavericks allowed three goals in the second half and fell 3-1 to Eastmont.

The loss is the fourth consecutive for Moses Lake, but head coach Alysha Overland said that the energy has still been there for the team during practices and going into games.

“Our practices are still coming out high-pressure, everybody wants to be there, we’re getting excited,” Overland said. “We are well prepared for the upcoming games. The girls are getting ready to go, they’re excited to play whenever gameday comes around.”

The Mavericks played a clean sheet in the first half and stayed tied with the Wildcats at zero after the first 40 minutes. Eastmont had a near goal in first-half stoppage time, but the shot ran just outside of the right post.

“We had a heck of a first half,” Overland said. “We still played great, continued to play great until the end. It’s just, unfortunately, the other team gets a goal in and we can’t counter on it. A few little pieces that we have to fix and tweak.”

Eastmont found the back of the net in the 61st minute to take a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats had kicked a corner kick that Moses Lake was able to clear out, but a pushback into the defensive third of the Mavericks saw Eastmont senior Kylee Weems’ shot give the Wildcats the lead. Eight minutes later, Eastmont sophomore Juliah Martinez scored a goal to move the lead to 2-0 for the Wildcats. Martinez scored her second goal of the night in the 73rd minute.

“We’ve been working on that a lot from the beginning, we talk about our energy after a(n opposing) goal,” Overland said. “You’re never guaranteed to get a goal up on a team, you’re always going to have to fight back, whether you’re up you’re gonna have to keep fighting the whole time.”

Moses Lake junior Bella Huberdeau was fouled in the 75th minute while attempting to take a shot on the goal, setting up a penalty kick for the Mavericks. Huberdeau’s shot hit the back of the net, cutting into the now 3-1 Eastmont lead. The final four minutes didn’t see either side score, and Moses Lake lost to Eastmont.

“Our passes looked great, our positioning looked great, even our communication,” Overland said of positives from the game. “We truly controlled that entire first half, most of the second half too.”

With four regular-season games remaining, the Mavericks have a chance to turn things around. They’ll return to the field on Saturday on the road at 1-9-1 Sunnyside. The match begins at 1 p.m.

“A big focus we’re going to have is probably those back-post runs,” Overland said. “We had a few of those come off in that first half. Just more communicating, more positioning.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at [email protected].