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While they did not necessarily translate to the win-loss column, the Canby boys and girls soccer teams both put in some of their strongest performances of the season in Three Rivers League play this week.
The boys had what coach Ryan McCormack felt was their most complete game of the year on Wednesday at Lake Oswego. The Cougs fell behind early, 2-0, but battled back to tie the score with less than five minutes in the game.
“After that, we started connecting passes much more, connecting several long pass strings and generating several chances on goal,” McCormack told The Canby Current.
In the second half, senior Riley Hemsi-Walters returned to the field for the first time this season after undergoing surgery last spring.
“He gave us an immediate boost, and we dominated the first 20 minutes of the second half,” said McCormack.
Junior Mario Bautista got into the box after a nice build-up and generated a penalty kick that senior captain Cristian Sanchez Ramirez converted to get the Cougs on the board. Ten minutes later, Sanchez played in junior captain Vladimir Bernal Lopez, who dribbled 3 or 4 defenders at the top of the box and slotted the ball in the corner to tie the game, 2-2.
Unfortunately, Lake Oswego was able to generate a quick counter and finished a nice shot at the end of the run to take back the lead. The Cougars generated two more chances in the final five minutes but were unable to convert either. The game ended 3-2.
“Overall, I’m really happy with the way we played tonight, and I’m excited to keep this momentum going forward into the rest of the season and into next year,” the coach said.
Canby fell to 1-10 on the season (1-8 in Three Rivers) after also dropping Tuesday’s game on the road to Tualatin, 6-0. They’ll stay on the road Monday for a rematch against Oregon City (2-10, 1-9 TRL), their lone victory so far this season, and host Tigard (4-4-3, 4-3-2 TRL) for their final home game of the season Wednesday.
On the girls’ side, the Cougs put in perhaps one of the finest defensive performances in league play this season, holding No. 2, undefeated Lake Oswego to a single score in the Lady Lakers’ 1-0 victory at Canby.
The Lakers boast one of the most potent offenses in the state and are leading the Three Rivers League in goals scored this season with 32 (against only three scored by their opponents all season).
The Cougar girls also dropped a close home game Monday vs. Tualatin, 1-3, to fall to 1-8-2 on the season (1-3 TRL). They’ll host No. 7 Oregon City (8-4, 2-2 TRL) on Monday and face Tigard (2-9, 0-4 TRL) on the road Wednesday.
