HRV girls tie again at Mtn. View

“None of us could believe it,” said coach Sue Farro, whose team dropped to 3-3-4 in the Intermountain Conference with only four games left to play.

“We had the game completely under control, and then they scored with eight minutes left to make it close. We didn’t think they would tie it, but they did.”

The first of HRV’s three late-game meltdowns happened against the Cougars on Sept. 27, when the Eagles took a 2-1 lead with seven minutes remaining, only to see Mountain View come back to tie at the bitter end.

Then came last Tuesday’s game against Redmond, in which the Eagles took the lead late in the game before watching it evaporate at the last second.

“Why does this keep happening to us?” Farro lamented after the game. “We’re a young team, and sometimes, experiences like this can be good. But it sure hurts right now.”

The Eagles’ slim playoff hopes took another hit with Saturday’s tie, as they missed an opportunity to overtake Hermiston in the standings.

The Bulldogs, who are currently in fifth place with 15 points, are still trying to catch fourth-place Summit, which has 19 points. But HRV would have something to say about both teams’ chances this week, with a home game Tuesday against Hermiston, and a road contest Friday at Summit.

“We’re going to keep fighting,” Farro said. “The season isn’t over by any means. But all these ties don’t help in the standings.”

For a report on Tuesday’s game with Hermiston, see the Oct. 18 edition.