The Brookings-Harbor High School Bruin girls varsity soccer team ended regular season play with a convincing win over the 4-8-1 Cascade Christian Lady Challengers late Monday afternoon, October 25th. The win, combined with the 6-7-1 St. Mary’s Lady Crusaders loss, launched the Bruin girls into post season play.
The 6-6-2, #22 OSAA ranked Bruin girls would start the play-off tournament on the road, making the 10 hour, 578 mile trip to Milton-Freewater in the very north eastern part of Oregon to take on the 10-1-1, #13 OSAA ranked, McLoughlin Lady Poineers.
On a beautiful fall day for soccer, a confident energized Bruin girls team took the field and quickly established field position, playing the majority of the first half in the Lady Pioneers half of the field. The Bruin girls offense created several scoring opportunities early, but just could not find the net.
Both teams were pressed into the McLoughlin half of the field for a long stretch before the Lady Pioneers created a fast break opportunity on the right side of the Bruin girls defense. The Lady Pioneer forward was fouled in the penalty box trying to beat the Bruin girls defender, and McLoughlin would convert the penalty kick to take an early 1-0 lead just under 10:00 minutes into the game.
The game would remain in the center and McLoughlin half of the field for another long stretch, with few save opportunities for the Bruin girls keeper as the BHHS defense limited Lady Pioneer scoring opportunities keeping McLoughlin out of shooting range.
The Bruin girls attacked the goal to get the tie, and again with the defensive back line pushed up to midfield, the Lady Pioneers would make a mistake in front of their own goal that senior Zoe Carlson, #11, just could not get to in time to take advantage of. The McLoughlin counter would bounce around in the mid-field before a Lady Pioneer pass would find their left forward streaking down the left touchline before getting behind the Bruin girls defense for a one on one fast break scoring opportunity, beating the Bruin girls keeper, and finding the back of the net, extending the Lady Pioneers lead to 2-0.
With the Lady Pioneers would start the second half sitting on a 2-0 lead after making the most of the few opportunities the stingy Bruins defense would allow in the first half of play. The second half would evolve into a repeat of the first half, with both teams struggling to control possession and field position.
The Bruin girls defense would continue to play tough, again limiting opportunities to develop scoring opportunities for the Lady Pioneers and keeping the ball in the McLoughlin half of the field. But the Lady Pioneers would turn up the pressure on the Bruin girls playing a defense that forced ball control mistakes off of trapping and passing, keeping the Bruin girls from putting together an effective offensive attack, holding the Bruin girls scoreless to close out the game with the 2-0 win.
“As Coaches we are really proud of how the Girls played today”, Bruin girls head coach Brian Carlson said after the game. “We ask them to compete until the final whistle in every game and that is what we saw today. As long as we stay in the fight and continue to battle we will always give ourselves a chance. McLoughlin is a league champion for a reason, they were able to get a couple early goals and the really defend well for the rest of the game. Congratulations to them on a good win and we wish them the best of the rest of the way. I would really like to thank all of the people who made the long journey to come and see us play today, it was great to see that kind of support for our Girls.”
