The Dalles boys lose first two league soccer matches

McCracken’s shot from 12 yards out in the 55th minute trimmed the Cowboys’ advantage to 2-1. McCracken scored in the 67th minute off a pass from sophomore midfielder Ivan Santana.

“They [Cowboys] are a good team, and they came out and played hard to get the win," McCracken said.

The Cowboys scored the game-winning goal with 3:34 remaining in the match after controlling a loose ball in a scramble in front of the Riverhawks net.

Santana nearly scored a game-tying goal in the final minute of the contest, but the shot went wide of the left goalpost. The Riverhawks had numerous second-half scoring opportunities, including several good shots by senior midfielder Hulises Najera.

“We just had a tough loss in a league opening contest that we were really hoping to win,” Najera said. “We’re going to do our best to try and come back and hopefully win our next game. We’re just going to keep working hard all season long so that we can win as many games as we can to make it to the state playoffs.”

The Riverhawks, guided by head Coach Jesus Granados and assistant Matt Dallman, were hoping to bounce back in a Sept. 26 game at Madras, but lost 3-2.

“It was pretty rough, physical, competitive game and we had four kids who were unable to continue playing and had to leave the field after they had some pretty bad injuries,” said Dallman. “It was a typical in-conference rivalry matchup that lived up to the hype and it was a fast-paced game.”

The Riverhawks took a 1-0, first-half lead on a goal scored by Najera. The White Buffaloes responded by scoring two goals before halftime. Just as they did versus Crook County, the Riverhawks came back to tie the match on a goal by senior midfielder Anthony Santana. The White Buffaloes scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the final minute of regulation.

Dallman said The Dalles will benefit from its tough schedule. “I doubt that any team in the state has had a tougher schedule than what we’ve had,” he said. “Losing the last two games by one goal is hard and they were tough losses, especially the one to Madras. It’s definitely a situation that our team will recover from and grow and mature from even though we’ve lost two straight.”