Canby boy’s soccer continued their brutal stretch of opponents to begin the season with tough losses against Lakeridge and Tualatin this week. The boys fell to the Pacers, 6-1, on the road before dropping one against the Timberwolves, 5-2.
Monday saw the Cougars travel to Lakeridge High to face the No. 1-ranked team in the state. The undefeated Pacers started off quickly with a goal, but Canby answered with a long bomb from so far beyond the 18-yard box that even the Pacer goalie was caught off guard.
Despite that impressive goal, the Pacers dominated the rest of the game, scoring five straight to finish the match.
Wednesday night had Canby face off against a 4-1 Tualatin team. The first few minutes saw Canby take control of a game for the first time this season. After a Tualatin foul, senior midfielder Cristian Sanchez-Ramirez took a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box. His shot sailed perfectly to the top right corner to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.
It did not take long for Canby to strike again. Exactly one minute and five seconds later, Vladimir Bernal-Lopez intercepted a Tualatin pass at midfield, sailed past the Timberwolves, spun between two defenders, and put a low shot past to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead — its first of the season.
Tualatin was able to counter with a transition tap in score in the 24th, but the Cougars lead at the intermission, 2-1.
The second half, however, was all Timberwolves. Tualatin got on the board quick with a long 25-yard shot to knot the game up in the 44th minute. They would score two minutes later on a crazy ricochet off of the crossbar that led to a tap-in to give Tualatin the lead.
The Timberwolves would tack on two more goals in an impressive second-half performance to defeat the Cougars, 5-2.
To say that Canby boys soccer has had a tough schedule to open the season would be a dramatic understatement. The Cougars’ first four opponents (McKay, Southridge, Lakeridge, Tualatin) have a combined record of 17-3-2.
Still, the Cougs have battled and held their own to start. The schedule should take a turn for the better for the next week as the boys face Lake Oswego and Oregon City on Monday and Wednesday.
