It may not have been a win, but it was competitive for Sweet Home’s boys soccer team as they hosted East Linn Christian Tuesday, Sept. 9, falling 2-1.
After getting off to a slow start in an 8-1 loss to Siuslaw (1-1 in the second half) in their season opener the week before, the Huskies were looking to be more aggressive from the start – and they were.
Coach Eric Stutzer said his team showed “huge improvement from our game against Siuslaw.”
“We played better both offensively and defensively, which allowed the game to stay tight right down to the final seconds.
East Linn, which was 4-0 entering this week, capitalized on a defensive error by Sweet Home about 20 minutes into the game, but Keeghan Gittins evened the score 1-1 with a goal after getting an angle behind the Eagles’ goalie.
“We maintained composure and were able to equalize before halftime,” Stutzer said.
He said the Huskies “came out strong” in the second half, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunities they had.
Sweet Home put the ball in the net about 10 minutes into the second half, but it was ruled offside.
East Linn scored its second goal with about 15 minutes left in the game off a midfield error.
“We had a number of really good opportunities in the final minutes, but East Linn was able to hold off the attack,” Stutzer said. “We had really strong play in the front from Keghan Gittins and our sophomore keeper Ben Ramsey played very well too.
He said midfield errors were the difference in the game, and they need to be corrected. Also, he said, the Huskies need to work on getting shots off quicker, not being tentative on offense.
“We are still struggling with midfield play, especially late in games when we are tired,” Stutzer said. “We will spend some time on that in practice this week and also work on tightening up our touch.
“It’s extremely hard to do what we need to, tactically, if we can’t maintain control of the ball.”
Sweet Home will be looking for its first win as it visits Kennedy at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, then will host Junction City/Harrisburg Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 4:30 p.m. in a final tuneup before the Oregon West Conference season begins against North Marion on Oct. 2.
