Riverhawks topple La Grande 7-0 in season opener

The Riverhawks, guided by second-year Coach Jesus Granados, were in sync offensively throughout the contest, building a 5-0 halftime behind Najera’s three goals. Senior forward Kenny Martinez also scored a first-half goal. Junior midfielder Bryson Seibert scored early in the second half to put the Riverhawks ahead 6-0.

“All the boys played well, and it was just a great way start to the season and it really couldn’t be any better,” said Granados. “The guys sitting on the bench did well to and they came into the game and did their job giving the starters a chance to rest. We had great team chemistry among all the players, and they applied what they learned throughout the summer. It was nice to see how well they utilized the skill set that they learned during the summer. Nolan Donivan and Luciano Alvarado did a good job in leading our defensive line and they did a great job of communicating.”

Junior goalkeeper Luciano Alvarado earned the shutout. The Dalles had only one shutout last year — 8-0 over Pendleton. “It was a good win,” said Alvarado, who made numerous saves during the game. “We were a little nervous and we had some jitters since it was our first game, so for about the first 10 minutes, we didn’t really play too well. But from that point on, we started communicating well, we were passing efficiently, and our touches were good. We played a tough summer league schedule against some older adult players. I think that experience has helped us to come out here and feel more comfortable in our games this season.

“This was nice getting a shutout in the first game and hopefully we’ll have many more just like this one. Going down to Class 4A and being in the Tri-Valley League is definitely going to help us a lot, and I think we can definitely be one of the top contenders in our league.”

The Dalles’ back line defenders Donivan, Carter Randall, Angel Rodriguez, Diego Rodriguez, Sam Pile and Miguel Leon also solidified the Riverhawks’ solid defense.

“Nolan and Luciano did a good job in leading our defensive line, while they also did a great job in communicating well, too,” said Granados. “Things were a little shaky in the beginning of the game, but then everyone adjusted real well. We created some great scoring opportunities and we just played great soccer.”

The Riverhawks’ next game is Thursday in a 4 p.m. non-league match-up at Pendleton High School. Like The Dalles, Pendleton moved down to Class 4A and is in the Greater Oregon League.