TD girls propelled to prestigious list

On the year, the Riverhawks had a ranking as high as No. 12 and they more than doubled their goal total, going from 14 in 2013 to 32 in 2014, the highest mark since the 2010 campaign (53).

A major reason for the offensive surge was the play of Walasavage, a midfield/forward.

The junior led The Dalles in goals with seven and assists with five, using her speed and playmaking abilities to set up her teammates.

This is the second consecutive first-team selection for Walasavage, one of the team captains.

“She always brings a positive attitude and a great work ethic to practice,” said five-year coach Colby Tonn. “Hannah plays hard and is competitive, while still keeping others in good spirits. She has improved greatly in each of her seasons and I am looking forward to what new she brings next year.”

Struck by the injury bug and other departures, Gamez was thrust in the middle of a Riverhawk defense that held opponents to nine goals or fewer with shutouts against Redmond, Benson and Hermiston this year.

Another team captain and 2013 first-team representative, Tonn said Gamez did a great job of organizing a young defense, while providing leadership and support.

“Marta made improvements by leaps and bounds over her high school career,” Tonn said. “She is a very hard worker who also is a student of the game. Not only does she work on her game, but also works hard on fitness and the mental aspects of soccer. She will be greatly missed both on and off the field.”

Playing alongside Gamez, Aguilar provided added support at the midfield spot.

When facing speedy, skilled opponents, Tonn did not hesitate to have Aguilar shadow the best players.

The Riverhawk coach said her play provided protection in front of the back line to solidify the defense.

“I was really proud of how Yesenia took to the role of holding midfield,” Tonn said. “She always comes to the field every day with a smile on her face, ready to work hard. Her positive attitude and good work ethic will be missed.”

It did not take long for Tonn to realize that he had quite the find in his Norwegian foreign exchange student, Strand.

To start the regular season, Strand notched a hat trick for all three goals in a 3-2 road victory on Sept. 2 over eventual playoff team, Mac-Hi.

From her center midfield position, Strand had six goals and an assist. She also added a new dimension of skill and passing ability to set up her teammates for scoring chances.

“Johanne did a great job of solidifying the midfield and gave us another weapon on the pitch,” coach Tonn said. “She is a very tough player, who pushed through and overcame a lot of adversity this year.”

While Strand, Aguilar and Gamez are graduating in June, the Riverhawks will have two more years of contributions from McCall.

The sophomore midfield/forward tallied five goals and added three assists to her numbers this season.

Tonn said McCall did a solid job of distributing and switching fields. She also put pressure on opposing defenses and had some great set pieces.

McCall had a goal from 25 yards out for the eventual game-winner against Redmond on Sept. 4.

On a windy day on Sept. 30 in a home match versus Hermiston, McCall booted a free kick from a little more than 40 yards away over the head of the Bulldog goalkeeper for the game-winner in a 1-0 shutout.

“I am very proud of Brooke’s work ethic,” said coach Tonn. “She puts in countless hours outside of practice working on her shot and skills and you can see it in the game. The sky is the limit for her with her hard work and coachability and I am excited to see how much she grows over the next couple of years.”