Hawks win 2-1; qualify for the 5A playoffs

It has been a long journey through adversity and everything else, but that has not stopped the togetherness and pride these athletes have shown to rebound in such a manner.

“There is a family vibe here. We cheer each other’s success and we come together even closer when it doesn’t work out in our favor,” said TD head coach Oscar Nunez. “Nothing has ever waned for us. Even we were struggling, we never got down on ourselves. We kept working harder to accomplish our season goals. That belief factor is contagious. We have always had that. We never stopped believing in what we were doing, and to get to the playoffs is their reward. I am proud of them.”

Emma Weir and MaKenna Wilcox scored both of TD’s goals for a 2-0 lead, but Pendleton made things interesting in the final 17 minutes.

Riverhawk goalkeeper Teddie Pitt made four saves in the contest, none bigger than the penalty kick stop she made in the 64th minute, which kept the Buckaroos off the board.

Four minutes later, Pendleton put one on the scoreboard off the foot of Samantha Parker.

That was as close as Pendleton would get, however, as the Riverhawks maintained possession and enough of an offensive attack to hold on to the lead.

“Penalty kicks are an adrenaline rush. It so exciting, but also nerve-racking,” Pitt said. “In close games like these, every play matters. I have had a couple of shots get past me and it is so defeating. Making that save gives me a boost of confidence. It is so rewarding. I am glad I could help the team because that’s what this is all about. It is never a me thing, it is totally about the team.”

Weir scored TD’s first goal at the 21-minute mark on an assist from Wilcox to give her team 1-0 lead they would take into halftime.

Both teams played close for the first 20 minutes of the second half, until Wilcox ran the lead to 2-0 after taking a pass from Victoria Barragan and blasting her shot past the Pendleton goalkeeper.

“This was a huge win for us,” said senior Alexia Tapia. “We really wanted this game. We kept up our communication and talked to each other and made sure that our passes were on point to our teammates.”

The adversity has been there in full force, but now there are bigger things on the horizon.

Now in the playoffs, The Dalles is certainly one of the dark horse to keep an eye as it vies for a state championship.

“We have worked through smoke, we have worked through rain and worked through the dirt and mud. It is exciting to see us fight past that,” Pitt said. “It has been a struggle, but it has been a heck of a lot of fun. It is so exciting to be in the playoffs. I hope that we are that stone that knocks Goliath over. I know we are ready for it. I think the last two wins that we have had will definitely give us that push we need. It is going to be a fun thing to watch.”

The Dalles (2-8-1 overall, 2-2-1 league) hosts Mac-Hi at 4 p.m. on Thursday, and then hosts Redmond at 2 p.m. Saturday in a pair of re-scheduled non-league matches.