Senior defender Anaya Castillo hugs her dad during Hood River's senior night on Oct. 19. The Eagles managed a thrilling victory over the Mustangs, 3-2.
Senior defender Anaya Castillo hugs her dad during Hood River's senior night on Oct. 19. The Eagles managed a thrilling victory over the Mustangs, 3-2.
There was some bad news and good news for the Hood River Valley High Eagles last week. The good news was the Eagles remained in contention for an OSAA Class 5A girls soccer state playoff berth after they were unbeaten in two Northwest Oregon Conference home games.
The 16-team playoffs begin Nov. 2 with first round games. The Eagles (2-3-1 NWOC, 5-6-1 overall) played a 0-0 tie with the Parkrose High Broncos (1-3-2 NWOC, 1-9-2 overall) Oct. 17 at Hood River Valley High School. The Eagles then followed with a 3-2 win on Senior Night over the Milwaukie High Mustangs (1-5-1 NWOC, 5-5-3 overall) Oct. 19.
The top four NWOC teams automatically qualify for the state playoffs. There also will be two at-large berths into the 16-team bracket.
The bad news overshadowed the two-game unbeaten streak. Eagle sophomore forward and leading scorer Julia Rowan (five goals) was injured in the first half of the win over Milwaukie. Rowan suffered a fractured ankle and will be unable to play for the remainder of the season.
The Eagles, guided by first-year Coach Leonor Lopez Agiurre, are trying to reach the postseason for the first time since 2019 and they’re unbeaten in three of their past four games. The Eagles were seeking to keep their playoff hopes alive when they faced the Hillsboro High Spartans (3-2 NWOC, 5-4-2 overall) Tuesday at Hillsboro High School (result was after the printed edition deadline). The Eagles play the Putnam Kingsmen (3-1-1 NWOC, 5-4-1 overall) in their final regular season contest Thursday at 7 p.m. at Putnam High School in Milwaukie.
“We had a good week, and it was very exciting,” said Lopez Agiurre. “The last game of the season will kind of decide whether we make the playoffs. We do have a chance, but we have to win our last game. We’ll just have to keep our heads up and go at it hard. It was super unfortunate that Julia was injured though. We’ll have to go with the players that we have now, because it’s just one of those things that happen sometimes in soccer.”
In the scoreless tie with Parkrose, freshman goalkeeper Valeria Miramontes had four saves. In the win over Milwaukie the Eagles came from behind twice to tie the game. Trailing 1-0, freshman midfielder Yareli Hernandez scored after getting a pass for an assist from junior Erandy Galindo with 1:30 left in the first half.
At halftime, the six Eagle seniors were honored for their contributions to HRV’s soccer program and they were accompanied by their parents on the field. Those seniors included Stellar Parker, Sarah Mata, Anaya Castillo, Ximena Santillan, Sarah Davies, and Monty Ruggles.
In the second half, the Eagles again fell behind, 2-1, but they again overcame the deficit. Ruggles scored after getting a cross from freshman midfielder Magnolia Clermont (assist) and it was 2-2. Ruggles later scored the game winning goal on a penalty kick following a Bronco foul inside the 18-yard box. The Eagles had eight saves, with Miramontes getting three and Parker making five.
“At the beginning of the year, it kind of felt like this was going to be a rebuilding season, since I was just getting to know everyone and they were getting to know me,” said Lopez Agiurre. “Now we’ve got to the point where everyone is comfortable, and the team chemistry is just right. It’s beautiful to watch the team play now. Compared to the beginning of the season, it’s a huge difference seeing how everyone is doing now and we’ve done a lot of team bonding.
“Everyone communicates with each other better and that helps you play better. They know how to communicate effectively with each other, and they say the right things to encourage each other to continue playing strong throughout the entire game.”
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