The Huskies lost to Sisters 3-1 Thursday night at home in girls soccer, but they gave the visitors all they could handle before bowing out.
The game may have marked a turning point in their season.
“We’re playing better now,” said Coach Ramiro Santana. “We played much, much better. We had our chances. We could’ve won it. It could’ve gone both ways. We had our opportunities.”
From the start of the season, that was what he expected out of his team, he said. Last time around this season, Sisters beat the Huskies 7-1. The Huskies haven’t put their game together like they did in last week’s game.
This time around, “we had a few mistakes with our goalie,” Santana said. Sisters scored off a corner kick 30 minutes into the game, and it slipped through Hailey Nicholson’s hands.
The Outlaws scored their next goal 37 minutes into the game, Santana said. It was a good shot.
Sisters led 2-0 at halftime.
Ashley Wickline scored 19 minutes into the second half, Santana said. She sneaked it by the goalie right by the post. Sisters scored on another error 23 minutes into the half, and no one scored again.
Wickline sent another shot just over the crossbar later and Sweet Home had at least two other chances in the second half.
Often, their opponents score one “dumb goal,” Santana said, and the team kind of panics. This time, the Huskies didn’t. They kept playing and stayed strong.
The defense is suffering from the absence of Allison Wickline, out for the season with an injury, Santana said, and the team was playing well enough that were she there, it could have changed the outcome.
Cora McKee and Wickline both had two to three good shots that could have been goals, he said.
The team is getting more comfortable with the artificial turf, although some still struggle a little, Santana said. They practiced and scrimmaged on the field the day before the game.
At this point, the girls are hungry for a win, Santana said, and he’s hoping it’ll happen this week.
The Huskies were scheduled to play at Sustherlin Tuesday.
They host Cottage Grove at 7 p.m. Thursday and Elmira at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20.