The boys varsity soccer team lost two games but played some of its toughest and best soccer over the last week.
On Thursday, the Huskies lost 1-0 to Santiam Christian at Linn-Benton Community College.
“We played a really good game on Thursday against Santiam Christian,” Coach Louis Dix said. “We controlled the game at least half the game or more.”
Santiam Christian scored about 20 minutes into the game.
“It was on a cross, and it was inadvertently kicked in by one of our own players,” Coach Dix said. That’s something that happens once in awhile on every team.
The Huskies came back from the goal and continued with a tough game, Coach Dix said. Santiam Christian had about 15 shots on goal. The Huskies had about eight, but the two teams played about equally.
The Husky defense played “really well,” Coach Dix said. “I felt that the midfield, Michael Barnes and Ben Schmidt, did an excellent job of passing the ball around keeping the ball in play for us. Defensively, I felt that Heath Belknap and Chad Workman did an outstanding job of controlling the ball at the end of the field.”
Jonathan Wilson and Mark Lewis, with Chris Burford pulled back from forward, also played well on defense.
The team continues to get better, Coach Dix said. The athletes are playing more aggressively and passing better.
“They’re just not getting a lot of good shot opportunities,” Coach Dix said.
At Cascade on Tuesday, the Huskies lost 3-0, but they “outshot” Cascade 17 to 14. It was the first game where the Huskies ended with more shots on goal than their opponent.
They also controlled the ball the majority of the game, Coach Dix said. Two defensive mistakes allowed Cascade two goals. Cascade’s third goal was a good play on a cross from the sideline to the goal.
The junior varsity defeated Cascade 4-0 but lost to Molalla 3-1.