‘Tough’ game leaves Huskies on short end of 2-1 score

The high school boys lost a close one in soccer Thursday at home when Cottage Grove shot a late goal to break a tie, and the Huskies lost 2-1 to open league play.

“It was a tough game,” said Coach Ryan Regrutto. “Last year, they were one of the teams we were quite competitive with.”

The Huskies have had trouble holding off early pressure in the games, and this is one of the first this year they didn’t give up a goal in the first 10 to 15 minutes.

Cottage Grove scored late in the first half, Regrutto said. “A guy took a long shot and really placed it well. He put it in the far corner.”

Goalkeeper Bryce Roberts was doing well throughout the half, but he couldn’t quite get to that shot, Regrutto said.

Dakota Snow stopped another shot late in the half, rolling over an opponent and hitting his face against a goal post, but he was able to head the ball out of the box.

He sat out the rest of the game, but suffered minor injuries, including a chipped tooth. He will be back for games this week.

The Huskies scored in the second half on a penalty kick.

Chris Carpenter or Kyle Winslow played the ball over the top, and Tony Ramirez chipped it toward the goal, Regrutto said. The shot went wide, but Cottage Grove’s goalie ran over Ramirez and received a red card. Ramirez scored the penalty kick.

It was the Huskies’ second goal on a penalty kick this season. They have not scored an open goal yet.

“It felt like we had some momentum,” Regrutto said. “The boys were excited, and you could tell they had some desire.”

By the end of the game, Cottage Grove had two players out on red cards and another player was injured, sustaining a concussion. He was taken by ambulance to Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital, treated and released.

But the game fell apart when a Cottage Grove player grabbed the ball off a Huskies corner kick, dribbled it 50 yards and made a simple pass to a teammate to score the final goal with less than five minutes left in the game. The Huskies had been pushing aggressively at that point, putting as many players forward as possible, changing the game up a little in an effort to get the win.

“Everything was against them,” Regrutto said. “They were able to push through and win the game.”

The Huskies shot the ball seven or eight times, and Cottage Grove shot it 10 times. Cottage Grove had possession slightly more than the Huskies.

The Huskies have had their own adversity this year, Regrutto said. “We haven’t been able to be at full strength offense this year.”

Chris Carpenter rolled his ankle in the first game, and he’s been trying to play through it, Regrutto said.

Looking forward, the Huskies are clearly competitive in league play, Regrutto said. Cottage Grove lost some seniors, but the Lions tied for league champion last year.

The Huskies next face Junction City at home on Thursday, Regrutto said. That will have to be one of the Huskies’ best games of the year and bring everything together at once if they hope to be competitive in the game.

Total
0
Share