Sweet Home 2, Stayton 2
The girls high school soccer team just improved upon its performance last year by tying its second game of the season 2-2 at Stayton on Thursday.
The team went winless last year, but they were relentless against the Eagles after falling into a two-goal deficit.
“We were losing 2-0 the first half,” Coach Ramiro Santana said. The wind was against his team during the first half, and the “defense was playing a little too close together.”
At halftime, he stressed keeping the defense spread out and more passing, Santana said. That gave the girls 45 minutes to work on Stayton and catch up.
The Huskies took it to heart, he said. In the second half, Sweet Home’s goalie only touched the ball twice.
“Kristen Tolle scored the first goal,” he said. “Once they scored that one, they just started running and playing like they should’ve been playing.”
The Huskies took about 30 shots on goal during the game, much of that action in the second half, he said. “In the second half, I think the girls totally turned the game around.”
Faith Helfrich and Alex Hawk were key in pushing the defense and holding Stayton, Santana said.
With 1:35 left on the clock, Jessica Snow scored a second goal to tie the game.
Most other schools have already played four or five games, Santana said. This was only the Huskies’ second game. Their preseason jamboree was canceled, so they haven’t had as much time to work things out yet.
“We’re starting to figure it out,” Santana said, adding that the next three or four games should hone the team well enough to start league play.
Cascade 1, Sweet Home 0
The Huskies lost their opener at home 1-0 to Cascade.
“We should’ve won,” Santana said.
Megan Rubidoux took a corner kick with her head and turned it into a goal during the first half, but the ref took it back with an off-sides call. That kind of deflated team morale.
The game was 0-0 at halftime, and Cascade scored with goalie Kathy Wilson out of position, Santana said. He had been yelling at her to grab the ball in the box, while a ref was yelling at her not to grab the ball. She kicked the ball out, and now out of position, a Cascade player was able to kick it into the goal.
“We dominated the game from the start, from minute one till the end,” Santana said, but it was one of those days when shots didn’t go in.
The Huskies play next at North Marion on Tuesday.