Lady Outlaws split on soccer pitch

The girls soccer squad split their games last week — a 0-2 loss at home against Philomath on Tuesday, March 23, followed by a 2-1 win at Sweet Home on Thursday.

The Lady Outlaws played a hard physical game against Philomath in Tuesday’s matchup. They suffered two injuries that disrupted their play. Within the first 10 minutes of the first half, Anya Shockley went out with a shoulder injury, and in the second half Oly Thorson went out with a knee injury. The loss changed the dynamics and affected the Outlaws’ play.

At the half, the score was even 0-0, but Philomath scored twice in the second half for the win.

In the first half of the game against Sweet Home, the Huskies scored on a corner kick. Sisters had some miscommunication and lacked a sense of urgency to clear the ball which resulted in the Huskies scoring inside the six-yard box. At the half the Outlaws were down 0-1.

Sisters played with good control in the second half, and at the 10-minute mark Tatem Cramer crossed the ball to the middle to Hollie Lewis, who settled the ball, dribbled, and finished into the lower right to tie the game at 1-1.

Lewis scored the Outlaws’ final goal with just 14 seconds left on the clock. Maggie Lutz passed the ball up to Hollie, who chipped the keeper about 25 yards out and sent the ball into the upper left over the keeper’ s head.

Several players made big contributions. Maddie Symonds and Maggie Lutz played a strong game in the back, and did a good job getting forward to help the offense. Isabelle Schiller and Marley Holden worked well together at center midfield with controlled passes, and Lewis’ speed and relentlessness up front helped the Outlaws get the win. Cramer played a physical game and recorded an assist.

Coach Brian Holden said, “Considering the amount of injuries, I’m proud of the girls for playing different positions they’re not used to and finishing the game to the very end. They controlled the pace of the game and the tempo of the game with controlled passes on the ground.”

The Outlaws were to play at home against Cascade on Tuesday, March 30. They will wrap up their season on Thursday, April 1, at Newport.