The Huskies lost 4-1 to Sisters at home in boys soccer Thursday evening and to Cascade 5-0 on the road Sept. 18.
“Well-played game,” Coach Eric Stutzer said of the Sisters game. “I think it was the best game of the seasn for us.”
The team came together offensively and defensively, he said, and both teams had about an equal number of shots on goal.
“I really felt like the tempo of the game was really good,” Stutzer said. The Outlaws scored their first shot off a well-placed kick off the post. With the momentum their way and the Huskies a little out of position on defense, they followed up with another shot.
It wasn’t a bad shot, but the Huskies defense should have been able to stop it, he said. Sisters led 2-0 at halftime and hit its third goal early in the second half when Tristan Calkins came out of the goal on a to stop a fastbreak opportunity.
It was a great play, Stutzer said. He took an impact from another player. While Stutzer felt like he had control of the ball and it should have been called a foul, it went uncalled; and Sisters knocked it into the net to go ahead 3-0.
With about 20 minutes left in the game, Austin Parrish scored the Huskies’ first goal of the season on a corner kick, bending the shot around the keeper and lacing it through top corner of the goal, Stutzer said.
The Huskies let the Outlaws dribble in a bit too far in the late game, and Sisters scored the final goal, Stutzer said.
It’s a game that could have gone either way, Stutzer said. “I really felt like they played the best game of the season.”
Like he’s been saying, Stutzer said, “if they can come together as a team and play as a unit, they could catch some people unaware.”
If they play like they did against Sisters, Stutzer said, and they fix some technical issues, they can surprise other teams.
The Huskies played well against Cascade too, Stutzer said. With two referees on the field, it’s difficult for referees to catch offsides violations, and Cascade made several shots offsides.
The Huskies weathered that adversity and moved on, Stutzer said. “They played really well, and they played as a team.”
The Huskies were scheduled to host Newport on Tuesday. They’ll travel to Woodburn Thursday and then host Philomath on Oct. 2.