The No. 8-ranked Hood River Valley Eagles managed an appearance in the OSAA 5A boys soccer s…
Summit High’s physical, stingy defense kept Hood River Valley’s boys soccer scoring opportunities to a minimum and the result was a 1-0 OSAA Class 5A state championship win for the Storm.
The loss concluded an amazing season for HRV, which advanced to the state championship game for the first time since 2015 - when it won its second successive title. The eighth-ranked Eagles were the lowest seed to advance to the championship game out of all of the state’s enrollment classifications.
In last week’s match, Summit (15-1-3) outshot HRV, 30-3, (according to OSAA statistics), and the Storm defense made a goal in the 13th minute by senior Luca Gatto stand up for the victory.
The loss snapped Hood River’s eight-match win streak, which began after the Eagles were trounced 7-0 by La Salle Prep in a Northwest Oregon Conference reality check home game on Oct. 4. Coach Alvaro Lara’s team (which finished 13-5) didn’t lose again until the 5A final on a wet day at Sherwood High School. Lara tipped his cap to Summit.
“We definitely played a team (Storm) that really overpowered us with their offensive attack, and they were the better team,” Lara, the first year HRV coach said. “Summit is what you would call a very deserving champion. They have a phenomenal team; they’re well-coached (by Tom Bunnell) and they have a great amount of good soccer players on their team. I’ll give their team credit and their coach too for the system of play in which they definitely brought it to us in the way they attacked us.
“For us to be able to play in the finals against Summit and have our young guys get this experience was perfect. It will just help make our team that much better for next season.”
A strong defensive Storm squad, which allowed seven goals all season, dominated the contest offensively and defensively. The Storm won their third title in school history - 2013 (5A) and 2021 (6A). The shutout was their 11th this fall.
HRV sophomore goalkeeper Emmanuel Galindo had an outstanding championship game in his own right, making 13 saves.
“We’ve been kind of saving Emmy for moments like this in the playoffs because we had to deal with an injury that he had earlier in the season,” said Lara. “Eric (Leon) was our starting goalkeeper for most of the year and he did a great job, but we had to make the change that was more beneficial to our team. Having Emmy healthy and back in the goal box and doing the performance that he did in the playoffs is just awesome and he’ll get even better, because he’s just a sophomore.”
The contest marked the final high school game for 13 Eagle seniors: Leon, Edgar Lachino, Oscar Avalos, Cesar Guardado, Omar Mozqueda, Eric Cruz, Aiden Diaz, Andy Cardenas, Angel Fermin, Brandon Hernandez, Chris Cruz, Jared Flores, and Jose Carabantes.
“I’m absolutely going to miss the seniors, because they were one of those groups of boys that was kind of a shame for me because I only got to spend a few months with them,” said Lara. “I’ve known them for a while but having spent such a short time with them throughout the season is the only thing that I regret. They’re a great group of boys and I wish them the best in their future careers in the sport. It’s one of those things where it’s sad to see them leave, but I’m glad that they got to have them help us out, especially in guiding the younger guys.”
The Eagles advanced to the final with a 2-1, semifinal win over the No. 16-ranked Wilsonville High Wildcats (8-8-1) on Nov. 7 in Hood River. It was a rematch of an earlier Northwest Oregon Conference regular season game between the two teams (a 3-2 HRV win Oct. 11).
Junior forward Felipe Mendez booted in a shot from nine yards out near the middle of the field, putting the Eagles up 1-0 in the 11th minute. Wilsonville tied the game with a goal in the 13th minute. Then, with five minutes left in the game, Mendez booted in the game-winning goal from 16 yards out, off an assist by senior forward Lachino.
“It’s very exciting to be going to the championship game, especially since we didn’t even make it to the playoffs last year, so this is just crazy,” said Mendez, who scored the first ever game-winning goal of his career. “I felt very happy to score that goal. It’s just been an amazing season for sure and going to the finals is definitely the highlight of my Hood River Valley High School athletic career. We came out and we had somewhat of a slow start in the first half, so then we knew that we just had to step up our game in the second half and get another goal.”
Galindo made nine saves and he was joined in the starting lineup by Mendez on Nov. 1, when the Eagles won 3-1 in the playoffs’ first round vs. West Albany (8-5-1).
“It feels amazing to be in the championship game,” said Galindo. “I was just trying to help us get a win for our seniors, because I know it’s hard for them in their last year on the team. This was their last home game, which is really tough for them, and I just wanted them to have a good experience in their last game.”
The Eagles had a festive celebration on the field after the semifinal game with a huge crowd of hometown fans enjoying the victory. There were high fives, photo opportunities, hugs, loudly cheering fans, and lots of confetti flying around in the air.
“Getting a big win like this is great, because I know how much they wanted it and seeing them celebrate is just awesome,” said Lara. “Wilsonville gave us a battle and it was a good match. They’re a well-organized and very well-coached team. and we had a good game with them during the regular season, too. My hat’s off to them for a great season that they had.”
Summit, the Intermountain Conference champion, advanced to the final with a 2-1 semifinal home win over the NWOC champion and No. 3-ranked La Salle Prep (14-4). Three of the four semifinal squads were from the NWOC, attesting to the strength of the conference.
“I can’t express how proud I am of the boys,” Lara said after the semifinal victory. “They just want to play, and they know no other way of doing that than by just going out there and working their butts off. It’s one of those things where you just appreciate watching them play so hard.
“I’ve known these kids for a long time, and I’ve seen how well they’ve played together on the field for many years. My expectations for them is to just go out there and be fearless against any opponent that they have. They deserve to be in the championship game.”
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