West Albany 11, Sweet Home 2
Sweet Home just couldn’t get in synch against a tough West Albany squad Monday.
“They just didn’t come out and play at the level we’ve seen them come out and play the last few games,” Coach Craig Martin said. “West Albany is very skilled, fast and physical. The score shouldn’t have been that lopsided. If we had come out and played the way we’ve played the last few games, it wouldn’t have been that lopsided.”
He said the Huskies weren’t quite fast enough defensively and couldn’t reach the level they had been playing at in recent games, including a win over South Albany on Thursday.
Gabe Gunselman scored both of Sweet Home’s goals.
The girls team played, but because they were short a player, they officially forfeited to the Bulldogs 5-0. Martin said the actual score was 13-8, West Albany as the Huskies played with six players and no substitutes.
He said the Huskies will get another test Friday when they meet North Eugene at the River Road Rec Center pool. The boys play at 4 p.m. and, if referees are available and there are enough players, the girls will follow at 5.
Sweet Home 8, South Albany 4
Sweet Home shut down one of the tougher teams in the district Thursday, beating South Albany 8-4, the Huskies’ first win over the Rebels since the program revived last year.
“The Albany teams always are some of the tougher teams in the mid-valley area,” Martin said. “They have a lot of players to draw from.”
Martin said his team’s defense was key in the win, shutting down the Rebels’ scoring opportunities.
“Over time those are translating into us getting scoring opportunities,” he said. “We’re getting some turnovers, counter attacks, fast-break opportunities that we wouldn’t get without defense.”
Also, he said, the Huskies did a good job of playing “team offense, meaning that no matter where the ball is, everybody’s playing offense.”
Cory Martin led the team with four goals, Derek Jaques added three and Jake Johnson one.