Plagued by injuries and some poor grades, the understaffed girls soccer team lost 5-3 at Sisters and 3-0 at home against Sutherlin last week.
Coach Ramiro Santana said he had eight varsity players hurt. Four of them couldn’t play at all. Jessilynn Thomas and Kendyl Stutzman are both done for the season. He had four players who were playing hurt.
“We probably would’ve been great if all the kids were there,” he said. “We’ve got a great team that’s broken down.”
They started out all right against Sisters on Oct. 11, he said. Cora McKee scored five minutes into the game and then again two minutes later. Bethany Gingerich scored a third goal in the minute 17.
In the last five minutes of the half, Chloe Newport was hit from the side and sidelined, Santana said. She was filling in for Hannah Jewett.
“Once she came out, that’s when they started to score,” Santana said. The Huskies led 3-0 at halftime, but Sisters scored five goals in the second half to get the win.
“Chloe was doing a really good job,” he said. When she left the game, “our defense got really weak. My two best defenders, the heart of the defense, were gone.”
Sydney Mauer was the sole varsity defender left, he said. He pulled Milah Weld from forward to help defend.
Home against Sutherlin, the Huskies played pretty well till they picked up a handball and gave up a penalty kick.
Sutherlin scored on the kick in the minute 20, Santana said. Sutherlin scored again twice in the half.
The Huskies held Sutherlin in the second half, and no one scored.
“We actually did really good,” Santana said. “We got really close. We pressured them.”
Sutherlin just had a strong, physically large defense that pounds and pressures opponents, he said. It was like hitting a wall for Sweet Home’s small forwards.
The Huskies have to win their next two games to lock up third place, Santana said. Elmira has to lose to Sutherlin, which it already has once, and to the Huskies. Elmira beat the Huskies 1-0 earlier in the season.
Jewett was back in the game against Sutherlin, and Santana said he should have a couple more players back this week.
The Huskies were scheduled to travel to Cottage Grove Tuesday and to Elmira Thursday.
Junction City leads the league with a record of 6-1-1. Sutherlin, 5-2-1, is in second place. Elmria, 5-3, is in third. Sweet Home, 3-5 is in fourth and tied with Sisters. Cottage Grove is in sixth place with a record of 0-6-2.
The first three places automatically qualify for the play-in round. The fourth place team may qualify depending on OSAA rankings. Sweet Home is ranked 23rd in the state.