Canby girls’ soccer has been stuck in a rut over the last few weeks. The Cougars have a habit of starting with a strong, close first half before faltering late.
The possession of each contest has been wildly in favor of the opponent. Through six games, the girls have only been able to score four times.
Unfortunately, both matches this past week followed the same script. Against Liberty, the Cougars led for only the second time this year thanks to an early first-half goal. However, the second half was all Falcons as they scored twice and handed the Cougars a 2-1 loss.
On Thursday, the Cougars traveled to Forest Grove to face the Vikings. Another close first half saw the Vikings score a goal in the 22nd minute with a nice shot from just outside the penalty box.
The remainder of the half was scoreless, as the Cougar defense held firm. In fact, with just four minutes remaining, the score remained 1-0. Two late goals from the Vikings made the final score look worse than it was at 3-0.
In both of these games, the Cougars have been unable to generate opportunities. Their four total goals are the second-lowest in the state (tied with Reynolds, Sherwood and Central Catholic), ahead of only Grants Pass.
Not only are the goal numbers low, but so are chances. Against Forest Grove, the defense was able to hold its weight for most of the game, but Canby never had a sustained offensive attack.
With league play kicking off this week, first-year head coach Roberto Maestretti has no shortage of questions to answer.
The Cougs (0-5-1 overall) will continue their five-game road trip by traveling to Barlow before starting Three Rivers League competition with a road match against St. Mary’s. The game against Barlow will begin at 6:15 p.m., while the St. Mary’s contest will start at 6 p.m.
