Sophomore midfielder Mona Diaz picked up a loose ball, drove into scoring territory and found the back of the net in the opening minute of Tuesday’s varsity girls’ soccer matchup between the Hood River Valley Eagles and The Dalles River Hawks. The goal was a clear statement for the Eagles — who have found much needed cohesion and momentum in the last few weeks — as they take aim at the Columbia River Conference title and work to improve their 5A ranking with the state championship fast approaching.
The Eagles went on to win Tuesday’s road game 3-0 and followed with a big 4-0 win at home Thursday against Pendleton to improve their CRC record to 4-0 – their fourth straight shutout – and plant their flag firmly atop CRC standings. The girls go on the road Wednesday to play a key match against Hermiston; if HRV wins, they’ll claim the conference title outright, despite having one final game against The Dalles (senior night, Oct. 28, 4 p.m. at Westside) to close out the regular season.
“One of our goals going into the game was to play a high-paced passing game and score in the first five minutes,” Coach Kevin Haspela said after Tuesday’s game. “The Dalles came at us with a good deal of speed, but our team was alert, communicated well and possessed the ball well throughout the game.”
Claire Davis and Sindy Magana added goals in Tuesdays game as well, both assisted by speedy winger Kassidy Davidson, while the defense was anchored by the likes of Jenissa Ramirez, Sophie Grace, Kara Kiyokawa and goalies Vanessa Silva and Sophia Marble, who split time in the goal for the shutout.
“I’d say this was our most complete effort this season,” Haspela said. “If feels great to be on top of the standings in the CRC (and climbing the state rankings), but we know we still have our work cut out for us to win all of the conference games and compete well in state playoffs.”
In Thursday’s game, the Eagles were clearly the dominant team, but were unable to finish at the net despite several excellent opportunities in a frustrated first half that ended scoreless. The girls came out fresh and firing in the second half, however, and broke the game open with four goals to end on a high note.
“At halftime we discussed how important it was to continue to stay positive, move the ball, and trust ourselves,” Haspela said. “The game was an excellent mental challenge for the team. The girls needed to learn to overcome fear and continue to play creative soccer. I felt they rose to the challenge well.”
Magana struck first for the Eagles with a well-placed shot assisted by a pass from Collete Zack. Nine minutes later, Magana passed to Diaz, who found the net from the top of the box. Hannah Bergemann added a security goal at the 60-minute mark with a long range shot. Finally, Cielo Rivera played a part in the fourth goal — an own-goal for Pendleton — as she delivered a long cross from the wing that deflected off a Pendleton defender and went in.
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