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By BEN MCCARTY
News staff writer
August 27, 2008
Last season the Hood River Valley girls soccer team found itself
in the state playoffs thanks to a perfect mix of skill, luck and
circumstances.
The Eagles opened conference play with a scoreless tie with
Centennial. One goal either way would have found the HRV Eagles
in the playoffs without any help, or the Centennial Eagles
taking Hood River’s spot.
After winning their next two games by a 7-0 margin, the Eagles
fell to Barlow 5-1. Only they didn’t. Barlow forfeited the game
due to the use of an ineligible player, giving the Eagles a 1-0
win.
In addition, Barlow forfeited all its previous wins using the
player. All the Eagles had to do to secure a playoff spot was
manage a draw in one of their next three games. Instead they
were routed in three straight games by St. Mary’s, Central
Catholic and Gresham.
Needing a win to secure their playoff hopes, they squeezed past
Sandy 1-0 in the season finale to make the playoffs, where they
lost in the first round to Clackamas.
This year Eagles coach Joe Kelly says his team wants to show
that it can make a run at the state playoffs without the benefit
of outside circumstances.
“There is a strong desire to do that,” Kelly said. “Getting into
the state tournament out of this league is a big accomplishment.
Just to qualify you have to beat some of the best teams in the
state.”
The Eagles lost the core of the group that carried them to the
state playoffs last year, so they will have some work ahead of
them.
Leading scorer Dani Lichty is gone, along with defenders Kylee
Staughton, Kari Hidle and Lara Kunik. Midfielders Meagan Clark,
Lindsey Halliday, Jennifer Hanners and Kaela Van Swaay also
graduated.
With so many positions to fill, the Eagle girls find themselves
in almost the opposite position as their male counterparts.
About the only spot the Eagles are set at is goalkeeper. In
fact, they have two keepers with starting experience: Amanda
Miller and Hillary Sagar both played in goal last year and Kelly
will be looking to them to anchor the last line of the defense.
The departure of last year’s senior group leaves only one
returning senior starter, Erin Costello, and one player entering
her third year on the team in Lauren Lloyd.
“It’s kind of weird with such a mismatch of girls,” Costello
said.
“Last year we had so many seniors.”
However, she said she likes the speed and the chemistry she is
seeing from the team so far and thinks that with some work they
could be right in the mix.
“It would be great if we could do that again,” Costello said of
the prospect of reaching the playoffs. “We do need some growth
but it’s a possibility.”
If they are going to be in the mix for a playoff spot, Kelly
wants to see his team play a possession-oriented game where the
Eagles hang on to the ball and are careful about setting up
attacks.
Last season the Eagles often found themselves with chances to
score or to put a game away, but could not find a way to
maintain possession or keep control of the ball.
“We cannot afford to give the ball away,” Kelly said.
With so many players sliding into new roles, it is giving Kelly
a chance to re-ingrain that philosophy into all of them;
particularly since the team has no clear candidate to become an
individually dominant player.
He hopes that means they will all rise into that role.
“The opportunities are wide open for this to be a strong group,”
he said.
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