THE DALLES — The defending Tri-Valley Conference champion The Dalles High Riverhawks won, 3-0, at home over the Madras High White Buffaloes in Class 4A girls soccer Sept. 26.
The win over Madras (0-2 TVC, 0-5 overall) followed a 2-0 Sept. 24 road victory over the Crook County High Cowgirls (1-1 TVC, 3-1-2 overall) in Prineville. The Riverhawks, guided by Coach Colby Tonn, recorded their fourth shutout win of the season, which is the most out of the 32 Class 4A squads. They have the No. 1-ranked defense (0.333 goals against average).
“I thought our back line of defenders — Abril Rincon, Kaiya Doty, Rowena Benjamin, Jamie Bastian Palacios — and our two goalkeepers have done a great job of allowing just two goals scored,” said Tonn. “We’re just trying to maintain the mentality of getting a clean sheet [shutout] in every game. If you don’t allow a goal, then you can’t lose. Right now, we’re doing a good job of not allowing goals, and we’re scoring enough to get the wins.”
Sophomore twin sisters Ariana and Lilyana Gonzalez each scored first half goals to lift The Dalles in front 2-0 at halftime over Madras. Ariana Gonzalez scored another goal on a shot from nine yards out midway through the second half, extending the Riverhawk lead to 3-0.
“It feels pretty good to help lead our offense,” said Ariana Gonzalez, the Riverhawk midfielder who leads the team with seven goals. “This season has been lots of fun so far and I feel like our team has lots of good chemistry.”
The Riverhawks outshot Madras 30-3.
“I thought we did a good job in what we’re focusing on, which is offensive possession, passing the ball well and creating scoring opportunities,” said Tonn. “The more chances we create, then the more likely it will be that we’ll score goals.”
The Riverhawks’ duo of rotating goalkeepers, Yadhira Cruz-Torres (first half) and sophomore Olivia Prado (second half), each had a save versus Madras. Junior midfielder Jaki Negrete (two assists) and sophomore midfielder Yaritz Torres-Escobedo (assist) also contributed to the Riverhawk offense.
The more evenly played contest versus Crook County remained scoreless for 74 minutes. The Riverhawks scored in the 75th minute on a penalty kick by Ariana Gonzalez. Natalia Elias, junior team captain and a first-team all-league midfielder last year, scored a goal off a corner kick with two minutes remaining. Lilyana Gonzalez had the assist.
“Lily crossed the ball towards the box, and I was running in towards there and then I was able to get the ball and kick into the corner of the net," said Elias.
Tonn said he expects more close games for his team. “Everybody in our league is tougher this year, and I think we’re going to have a lot of games like we had with Crook County that are going to be very competitive and go down to wire,” he said. “Most of our games are going to be closer this year, because all the teams are better now.”
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