Hood River Valley freshman midfielder Nellie Lara (9), who scored the first Eagles’ goal, looks to pass to a teammate further up the field against Sherwood on Sept. 29.
Hood River Valley freshman midfielder Nellie Lara (9), who scored the first Eagles’ goal, looks to pass to a teammate further up the field against Sherwood on Sept. 29.
HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley’s varsity girls soccer team secured an impressive, 2-0, win on Sept. 29 against OSAA Class 6A Sherwood High School.
The Eagles’ defense was dominant, and Sherwood kept Hood River’s junior goalkeeper Uma Carosella on her toes. However, Hood River was eventually able to break through Sherwood on several occasions by going down the left side of the field.
Midfielder Nellie Lara was awarded a free kick in the 29th minute that was quickly converted into a goal. Of the shot, Hood River Coach Kevin Haspela said: “Nellie’s free kick was well placed. I think it hit somebody in the wall and deflected. We always say good things happen when the ball is in the box … hitting it low is nice and important.”
HRV’s second goal came eight minutes before halftime from senior midfielder Ainsley Chown and was a powerful strike that Sherwood goalkeeper Elizabeth Godwin couldn’t stop from landing in the top right corner of the net.
Haspela said: “Ainsley came out of nowhere and that was her first high school goal. Couldn’t have come at a better time.”
The second half brought a series of back-and-forth action, and Sherwood junior Mariella Phelps had multiple chances to score. She was denied by Uma Carosella each time.
Haspela said: “I was reminded, again, that this team can defend.”
“It comes down to moments, and we were able to capitalize on theirs better than they were,” the coach added.
Hood River is 5-3-1 and was ranked 11th in the OSAA 5A state rankings after the win over Sherwood. Up next is Northwest Oregon Conference play and an Oct. 7 match at Parkrose High School.
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