Soccer girls tie Cougars in wild finish at Westside

Then, less than 10 seconds after HRV’s kickoff, the final whistle blows with the score tied 3-3.

“It was an exciting game, but it was painful to have it end that way,” coach Sue Farro said. “Victory was there but we weren’t able to hold on.”

The pain of the tie extended to the players as well.

“We came into this thinking that it would be an even game,” said senior midfielder Anna Hidle. “And it’s OK to tie. It just doesn’t feel like a win.”

The Cougars won the Intermountain Conference last year, and are currently 4-2-1 in league. And while the Eagles felt like they played a strong game against the league favorites, they would have preferred a different result.

“It’s good to know that we can play against the best,” said Hidle. “But we needed this win.”

Mountain View scored its first goal early in the first half, letting the Eagles know that this wasn’t going to be an easy game.

But toward the end of the first half, HRV got it back when junior Kristen Hedges found senior Acer Lopez in the box for Eagles’ first goal, tying the score at 1-1.

Early in the second half, the Cougars once again regained the lead. But not for long, as senior Lisa Tedford drove the ball into the goal off a touch pass from junior defender Emily Sager.

The score remained deadlocked for most of the second half until Flory’s strike, and although the game ended in a tie, the girls felt good about their level of play.

“I think we definitely stepped up and played like a team,” said Hidle. “We hope to have more practice under our belts before we play them again, and hopefully the result will be different.”

The rematch is scheduled for Oct. 11 in Bend, and the Eagles plan to be prepared.

HRV is now 2-2-2 in the IMC, which puts them right behind Redmond for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Eagles hosted last-place Pendleton on Tuesday (results not yet available), and will travel to first-place Bend on Friday.