After a disappointing night against No. 1 Stayton, Sweet Home’s boys rebounded to tie Cascade in Oregon West Conference soccer.
The Huskies had a bad night at home against the Eagles in a 10-0 loss Tuesday, Oct. 7.
“Every season there is that one game that requires us to step back and do a gut check,” Coach Eric Stutzer said. “Stayton was that game for us this season.”
He said he didn’t know whether it was the fact that they were playing the state’s top-ranked 4A team or what, but “we simply under-performed,” resulting in one of Sweet Home’s worst losses in recent years.
“We spent a considerable amount of time post game talking about perseverance and rising up to face difficult challenges,” Stutzer said. “These are life skills that play out in everything from jobs, to health, to relationships.
“Our challenge to the kids was that we have to change our mentality and not quit despite what life throws at us. How we choose to respond to adversity and difficult challenges is a reflection of character, and as Huskies we have an expectation we respond well to what life throws our way and exhibit strong character at all times.”
Apparently, the Huskies got the message.
In a “hostile environment” at Cascade Thursday, they took it to the Cougars and competed, he said.
Felix Lopez and Levi Ayala, both sophomores, scored two early goals to put the hosts on their heels and, although Cascade was able to capitalize on defensive mental errors by the Huskies to even the score before halftime, Sweet Home held the hosts for the second half.
“In the past when we faced adversity and made some mental mistakes, we haven’t been able to right the ship,” Stutzer said. “This time the boys dug in, held Cascade off the rest of the game in a tough match and walked out with a tie and some league points on the road.
“ I’m really proud of our kids. They did a serious gut check and exhibited some strong, character-driven play that really surprised our opponents.”
Up next for the Huskies, going into this week, was a Tuesday face-off at Philomath, 7-2, 3-2 and ranked fifth as of Monday, and a home game Thursday, Oct. 16, against No. 8 Newport/Waldport (5-3-1, 2-2-1) which tied Stayton in their first match-up.
“We have some difficult games moving forward and I’m hoping that they continue to respond well,” Stutzer said.