HRV boys soccer reach the 5A soccer semifinals

The No. 8-ranked Eagles (12-4) took a giant step toward the Nov. 11 championship game at Liberty High School in Hillsboro following the victory over the Mid-Willamette Conference Champion Raiders. Earlier this season, HRV won a nonleague home game, 2-0, over the top-ranked Class 6A Lakeridge High Pacers (16-1).

The Eagles, guided by first-year Coach Alvaro Lara, are one win away from advancing to the 5A finals for the first time since 2015, when they last won a second successive state title. The Eagles were scheduled to play No. 16-ranked Wilsonville High Wildcats (8-7-1) in a semifinal matchup Nov. 7 at Hood River Valley High School. The winner plays the winner of the other semifinal match ­— between No. 2-ranked Summit and No. 3-ranked La Salle Prep — in the title game.

“These boys do not care who they are playing against, and they just always play hard no matter who the opponent is,” said Lara. “It’s awesome that we made it to the semifinals, so we’re all pretty excited. Our goalkeeper Emmanuel Galindo [six saves] played a great game, and he definitely made a bunch of key saves to help us get the huge victory.”

The Eagles trailed 1-0 early in the contest, but they came back, led by their junior top-two scoring duo of midfielder Julian Lara and junior forward Aran Garcia. Julian Lara scored a goal off an assist by junior Oscar Moline to knot the match, 1-1. Garcia scored a goal from an assist by junior midfielder Felipe Mendez to lift the Eagles in front 2-1 at halftime.

The Raiders knotted it 2-2 with a second-half goal as the game ended with a deadlock after 80 minutes. Julian Lara scored the game-winning goal with five minutes left in the second 10-minute overtime period.

After failing to reach the state playoffs last year, HRV qualified this season after finishing in second place in the NWOC standings at 6-2, behind La Salle (8-0).

The Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 following a 3-1 home win over the No. 9-ranked West Albany High Bulldogs (8-5-1) in a Nov. 1 first round playoff game. The Eagles overcame a 1-0 Bulldog lead by scoring three goals in a six-minute span.

Oscar Avalos, Julian Lara, and Garcia each scored goals to help the Eagles take a 3-1 halftime advantage. Avalos scored on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute; Lara scored on a header in the 24th minute; and Garcia booted in a free kick from 36-yards in the 26th minute to help lead the Eagles to the win.