Boys soccer thumps Redmond 11-0, looks ahead to tough Pendleton test; Dubon records first hat trick

“(Defense) was important. We talked about that as well,” said Rivera. “I didn’t want this (game) to be where we get careless. I felt like we stayed focused for 90 percent of the game.”

The Panthers had a handful of breakaway runs but were quickly snuffed out by the Eagles’ defense.

Throughout the game, the Eagle boys had great ball possession and kept the ball in the Panthers side of the field the majority of the time.

“We accomplished some objectives we were working on like possession,” said Rivera. “We we’re able to reverse the ball to our goalkeeper quite often and got our guys some good looks on goal.”

One player who took advantage of the Eagles great ball possession was Jaden Dubon. Dubon scored his first hat-trick of the season.

Dubon attributes the team’s dominant ball possession to good passing and clear communication amongst the team.

Despite losing, RHS’s head coach Scott Lee said they’ll continue to compete and improve their game.

“I’m a new coach with these guys, so we’re just learning each other and we just got to battle every time,” said Lee. “The harder we work in practice, the more we’re going to see better results on the field.”

HRV faced Pendleton High School in an away game Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. (too late for press time). Rivera said he expects to face a tough team at Pendleton.

The Buckaroos’ previous games have all been close and they haven’t lost by more than two goals.

“I’m not taking (Pendleton) lightly at all,” said Rivera. “Last year we got out of there with a 2-1 win. They’re always good defensively. It’s going to be tough competition.”