Senior Luciano Alvarado
Mike Weber photoThe Dalles High Riverhawks bounced back from their first league in boys soccer and won 2-1 over the Gladstone High Gladiators on Oct. 20 in a key, must-win situation in Tri-Valley Conference play.
The Riverhawks have clinched a spot in the 16-team state playoffs for the first time in two years. The Dalles will probably host a Nov. 1 first round matchup against a yet-to-be determined opponent.
“Gladstone came out and played tough because they’re in a position to possibly get a play-in round game,” said third-year Coach Jesus Granados. “They came out feeling hungry.”
The win over Gladstone (2-3-4 TVC, 3-6-4 overall) kept the Riverhawks (5-1-3 TVC, 7-2-3 overall) in contention to win the TVC championship, which be the school’s first league boys soccer title in 25 years.
Riverhawk junior forward and scoring leader Ulises Najera (14 goals) scored a goal off an assist from sophomore Juam Camarillo in the 25th minute to give The Dalles a 1-0 halftime advantage. Gladstone tied the game midway through the second half before Osby Vargas scored the game-winning goal in the 70th minute from an assist by Ivan Santana. Senior goalkeeper Hector Morales had five saves for the Riverhawks.
“It felt really good to get the win against Gladstone,” said forward Adrian Rodriguez, one of 11 seniors who were honored in a senior night ceremony. “It seemed like the referees were calling a lot of fouls on us and we had two in the first 14 minutes. It just seemed they [referees] really made the game even more difficult for us. You can’t always blame the refs though. We were able to overcome the fouls, so we got through that tough situation, and we pulled out a win to clinch a playoffs spot.”
A Riverhawk win or tie Oct. 24 at home versus the Molalla High Indians (2-6-1 TVC, 4-8-1 overall), coupled with a Madras (6-2-1 TVC, 8-4-1 overall) loss or tie to Crook County would clinch the league title for The Dalles.
The Riverhawks lost 1-0 at Madras on Oct. 16. That loss snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak against Class 4A squads.
“Our backup goalkeeper [Morales] is basically a utility player who does a great job, and he has a well understanding of the game,” said Granados. “He did a great job against Gladstone, and he made some key saves.”
Other than a scoreless tie with Gladstone on Sept. 27, the loss to defending TVC champion Madras marked the first shutout for the Riverhawks. The Dalles is the highest-scoring squad in the six-team TVC with 30 goals. It was a costly defeat for the Riverhawks, as they lost senior goalkeeper Luciano Alvarado to a concussion and his return to the lineup is uncertain.
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