Girls soccer suffers heartbreaking loss

The Lady Outlaws matched up against Klamath Union (KU) at home in Sisters on Tuesday, November 5, in the first round of the state playoffs. Sisters lost the game 2-1 in a fierce battle that went to sudden death.

Klamath Union scored in the first few minutes of the game off a one-touch long-shot outside the 18-yard box and took a quick 1-0 lead.

"It was just a perfect shot which curved into the upper right-hand corner," said Coach Audrey Tehan. "There was really nothing Hannah (Ceciliani) could have done about it. It wasn't a lack of defensive pressure. It was just a great shot."

Sisters fought hard and dominated the remainder of the game in spite of several injuries. Natalie Ambrose had to leave the game due to a pulled hamstring just seven minutes in, and 30 seconds later Michaela Miller came out with a bloody nose.

The Outlaws stayed calm, shifted positions and managed to keep control. Miller re-entered the game five minutes later, and Natalie after a 20-minute break.

Sisters had over 20 shots on goal throughout the contest but weren't able to find the back of the net until the very end of regulation play. The goal came when Haley Carlson sent the ball in front of the face of the goal. Dani Rudinsky was determined to get to the ball and pass it in behind the Pelican's great keeper. Regulation play ended in a 1-1 tie.

"It was a powerful moment," stated Tehan. "The girls kept pushing and pushing and finally something came together. Everyone was checking their watches, and the Klamath Union coaches were calling the game but we scored just in time."

Tehan told The Nugget that the Outlaws took some risks in the second half.

"We moved from four defenders to three and pulled Claire Henson from outside defender to sweeper to control the defense," said Tehan. "This allowed Michaela (Miller) to move up into the attack and push Liz (Stewart) and Natalie (Ambrose) up higher towards the goal. The defense by Claire, Anna (Ortega) and Cassandra (Arruda) allowed our team to keep high pressure. They stepped up to the challenge and Claire never made a mistake leading the back line.

"KU never stopped coming at us," added Tehan. "They were a strong team which functioned as one cohesive unit. I was impressed."

The Pelicans had 11 shots on goal and Ceciliani recorded eight amazing saves.

Two 10-minute overtimes ensued. The Outlaws dominated play, had two shots bounce off the post but couldn't get a shot into the box.

The game went to a PK shootout. The Outlaws tied with KU and scored four out of five PKs and the game went into sudden death where you advance shot by shot until a winner prevails.

Claire Henson's shot just missed the goal and KU followed with a shot into the goal for the win.

"It was a brutal way to end the game and the season," said Tehan. "You always have a chance as the underdog and no one can be underestimated. Someone is always on the losing end and it just happened to us today. We just couldn't finish despite leaving it all on the field.

"I'm so proud of all the girls," added Tehan. "We got multiple compliments from KU about how players, coaches, and fans were very respectful and how talented our team was. Our positive attitude, good sportsmanship and respect are the impression the Outlaws are leaving on people, and that's something we take pride in."