he Huskies defeated La Pine 1-0 in overtime at home in boys soccer Thursday, their first win of the season at the varsity level.
“It could have been a little better, but we’ll take what we can get,” said Coach Ryan Regrutto, but the game was more offense-oriented than usual. The team made a few rookie mistakes on the offensive end. The inexperienced tendency is to head straight for the goal, while more advanced players will take time and find the right moment to strike.
The Huskies scored several times, but they were called back and not counted, usually with an offside call, Regrutto said.
The Huskies won the game about five minutes into an overtime of two 10-minute halves.
The goal started on a long play out of the back, Regrutto said. “Nick (Rodgers) got it about 40 yards away and was able to dribble past.”
He had a defender running with him to about the 6-yard box. The defender went tighter, and Rodgers slid and kicked the ball into the net.
The Huskies spent more time on offense than usual and managed probably more than 20 shots on goal, Regrutto said. “We had a lot of really good opportunities.”
The team has been focused on defense and not letting opponents score for so long, it makes things tricky when the team has a chance to focus on offense. Players get to the opponent’s goal and get a little nervous, making basic mistakes.
“It’s a tough thing to switch the mentality,” Regrutto said. “Ultimately, we won the game, which is good for the kids. Hopefully that will translate to other wins this season.”
With an early season win, he thinks it will help his team believe it can win, he said. “I’m really excited for the boys to have that weight lifted off their shoulders. It’s been a difficult road. I hope they are able to enjoy that.”
On the defensive end, Matt Davis had a number of quiet breaks at goal.
“We were definitely the more dominant team,” Regrutto said. “They didn’t get many chances.”
But the Falcons made it down to see him, and Davis stopped a couple of one-on-one situations.
The Huskies were scheduled to play at Cottage Grove on Tuesday and will host Elmira on Thursday.
They were competitive with Elmira last year, Regrutto said, and for the most part, with Cottage Grove too.