By ERIC AHLQVIST

Editor

Despite losing two starters to injury, the Cooperstown girls soccer team won two big league games last week to improve to 5-0 in Center State Conference league play and 7-2 overall.

The Lady Redskins, winners of six straight games, host rival Sauquoit on Friday at 4:30 p.m. A victory in that game would go a long way toward capturing a second straight league title, CCS girls soccer coach Jennfer Pindar said.

Junior scoring machine Anna Kieler scored the only goals in the two victories last week.

On Thursday at home against Mt. Markham, Kieler scored in the first half with 16:53 left on the clock and the goal stood up in a 1-0 victory. Sophomore Laura Rowley began the play in the center of the field and passed the ball up to Jenny Potrikus, who sent a cross from the right side of the field. Kieler was on the back post put the ball in the net.

``Mt. Markham was a tough team and they have a great goalie in Courtney Roberts,'' Pindar said.

On Saturday at Waterville, Cooperstown again took a 1-0 victory as Kieler scored off a direct kick from the right side of the field from at least 25 feet out with 12:10 left in the second half.

``Our team played well this week and we lost two players, Lindsay Soraci, who is out with a knee injury and Lindsay Valentine, who had her appendix removed Friday night,'' Pindar said. ``The ladies pulled themselves together and played as a team to win our two games.''

Pindar said Soraci, a co-captain with three goals and five assists from her striker position, is having an MRI on her knee this week, and her status for the rest of the season will be known then. Valentine, the team's defensive sweeper, is out anywhere from two to four weeks.

Pindar said Kyle Mackie played sweeper on Saturday, and Potrikus and Rowley have been playing striker in Soraci's spot.

Before meeting Sauquoit on Friday, Cooperstown will travel to Herkimer Wednesday night at 7 p.m. for the third meeting between the teams. CCS won the first meeting in the opening game of the year, and Herkimer won in Cooperstown in early September. Cooperstown defeated Herkimer in last year's Section Three Class C final.

``Waterville and Mt. Markham are also close to us in the league,'' Pindar said. ``Those were both big league wins for us last week.''