On a bright mild fall day, two teams walked out onto the Bruins hometown pitch with a lot on the line, the winner moves on in the postseason play, and the others season comes to an abrupt unpleasant end. Both teams believe they deserve to be there, and both teams believe they were the team to move on.
The 10-4 Rogue River Chieftains made the 2-hour bus ride from just outside of Grants Pass and stepped off the bus with confidence, ready to take on the 3A/2A/1A-SD4 Special District 4 champion Brooking-Harbor Bruins. Coach Beamans 12-0 Bruins boldly walked onto the field prepared for a fight, and it didn’t take long for the gloves to come off.
Both teams tested each other early, challenging each others skills, pressing passing lanes, challenging traps, and looking for opportunities to force and exploit a mistake. This led to tight marking, pressing in the backs of players and pressuring players from both teams to not make mistakes or commit fouls, of which there were plenty throughout the game.
The usual game plan of the Bruins containing the opponent in their defensive end and not allowing them to put together an offensive challenge was not working early. The Chieftains game plan was to not get beat on the fast break and to not let Luke Beaman beat them without a double team, or a clean look at the goal. The second team of the year to use a double team on Luke Beaman, and again it clearly affected Beamans ability to stay focused on his game, frustrating him early, and forcing other team members to be the Bruin offense.
After 25 minutes of both teams struggling to take control, the Bruins took advantage of the Chieftains dedication to the off-side trap when they pushed the back line too close to the half line. The Bruin backfield put the ball over the top of the press, and freshman Fabian Villa #21 took full advantage of the opportunity outrunning the entire Chieftain defense to put the ball behind the keeper, starting the scoring and putting the Bruins up 1-0 halfway through the first half of play.
The Bruins would keep the Chieftains off the board with some excellent goalkeeping from Bruin keeper Juan Hernandez as Rogue River put together some offense late and challenged the Bruin defense getting into the penalty area and putting some shots on goal. Brookings-Harbor would take the 1-0 lead into the halftime break as both teams took the time to make adjustments and regroup.
The second half would start much like the first, double teams, pressing defense and the struggle to assume control of the middle of the field. Luke Beaman continued to struggle to break free from the double team and the Chieftain defense stiffened with more resolve. But the Bruin offense pressed harder, decided to beat the Rogue River players to the ball, and pushed them back in front of their own goal.
Pushing Rogue River deep into their end forced the Chieftains out of their game plan of denying the fast break, keeping the game in the middle of the field, and made the game about ball control and will.
With the Bruin defense now in its familiar position of sweeping attacks to the sidelines and pounding the ball back in front of the opponents goal, it wasn’t long before a pass to the top left edge of the penalty box would be gathered up by junior Jair Valdovinos, dribbled back into the center and ripped into the lower corner of the goal. This goal clearly took the wind out of the Chieftains and lifted the pressure off of the Bruins midway through the second half.
From that point on, the scent of blood was in the air, and the Bruins could smell it. They were close to the kill, and the Bruins pounced. The ball was not far from the Rogue River goal for the rest of the game, and the Bruins upped the attack sending defenders into the penalty box on set plays and corner kicks, attacking the Chieftain goal from the air.
Again, as the Chieftains tried to maintain control of the fast break, the Bruins pressed them, and the Chieftains made another mistake in the middle of the field. This time it was Jair Valdovinos on the breakaway down the center of the field, fighting off outreaching arms trying to slow him, and legs and feet trying to push the ball away. But Valdovinos would have none of it, and outran the field long enough to get a shot off as the Rogue River keeper came out to meet him at the top of the goal box just a little too late, putting the Bruins up 3-0 late in the game.
That goal essentially put the game away for the Bruins, but the Chieftains still wanted to get on the board. They attacked the Bruin defense and pushed the Bruins back for brief periods and took some very long range shots to no avail. As time became a factor for Rogue River, the Bruins were content in just dumping the ball deep in the Chieftain backfield, with one resulting in a corner kick.
With a 3-0 lead, junior Jair Valdovinos took the corner kick, and catching the Chieftain keeper out of position, bent it untouched on the fly into the Rogue River goal. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! That shot, as rare as seeing Bigfoot riding a unicorn, is one of THE most difficult shots there is in the game at any level.
Well played Jair, a hat trick, in a postseason game from a corner kick goal, with 12 seconds left in the contest…well played.
The Bruins will move on in postseason play at home this Saturday, November 3rd as the 7-1 Riverside Pirates travel to Brookings from the Oregon-Washington border east of Portland.
The Riverside Pirates are coming off a 3-2 win against Taft Tigers Tuesday afternoon. The game date has been set for November 3rd, but the game time has not been set as of yet. See you Saturday at Bruin field.
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