Othello wins in OT against Ephrata
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
Othello’s Irving Guzman made the game winning goal in overtime.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Ephrata’s Jose Alcala tied the game with six minutes left in the second half which put the teams into overtime.
Huskies and Tigers played a close game with no goals being scored until the second half.
The Tigers’ Jose Negrete Jr gains possession of the ball as the team begins their push to the opposing side of the field.
Huskie Guillermo Chavez sends the ball flying to his teammates at home Saturday against the Ephrata Tigers.
The teams were prepared for a close game after their last encounter ended in a tie.
Othello's Jose Cabrera (18) said the team will continue working hard and work on making shots.
Junior Chavez Mendoza, Jr. steals the ball adding to the Tigers’ strong defensive game.
OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies soccer team won in overtime 2-1 in Saturday’s game against the Ephrata Tigers.
“We knew from the beginning it was a battle,” said Tigers head coach Ivan Garay. “We had already played them once and tied and we knew that it was going to be back and forth.”
The score remained tied 0-0 at the start of the second half when the Huskies were quickly able to score a goal, putting them up 1-0. Then, with six minutes left, Tigers’ Jose Alcala made a shot to tie up the game at 1-1 and eventually put the teams into overtime.
“(Ephrata) played good on defense,” said Huskies head coach Bernie Garza. “I mean, we couldn’t get through them.”
Garza said the team’s mindset going into overtime was to keep playing smart and if there was an open shot, to take it. The Huskies started with the ball going into the five-minute overtime and after exchanging possessions a few times, Huskie Irving Guzman scored a goal, ending the game 2-1.
“I told him, ‘It doesn’t matter who scores as long as you score,’” said Garza.
The Tigers are focusing on refining their strategies and tactics, looking toward their next game, which will be against Quincy, said Garay.
Ephrata is an all-around team, he said, but the Tigers need to concentrate on getting better.
Despite the win, the Huskies feel like they could have had a better game, said Garza.
“We missed a lot of shots,” said Huskies player Jose Cabrera. “We’ve got to keep working hard and keep shooting.”
“We had some moments we had good possession and moments we had bad possession and moments we were taking shots, moments we were letting them take shots,” said Garza. “It’s one of those games where it's a lesson learned; even if you have a bad day, you can still win games.”
The Huskies are 6-3-1 overall, 2-1 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference and will next face Toppenish, which also sits at 6-3-1 overall, 2-0 in the league, said Garza. A win against Toppenish gives the Huskies a shot at taking first in the league, a position held by Selah at 7-1-1.
“That’s a big rivalry we had in the past, so it’s going to be a big game,” said Garza.
To work up for their game against Toppenish, Garza said the Huskies will focus on finishing, conditioning and on getting their players healed and rested as they take their spring break.
The Ephrata Tigers will be on the road again tonight to play Quincy at 6 p.m. and the Othello Huskies will play against Toppenish tonight at 6 p.m.
Ephrata’s Jose Alcala tied the game with six minutes left in the second half which put the teams into overtime.
Huskies and Tigers played a close game with no goals being scored until the second half.
The Tigers’ Jose Negrete Jr gains possession of the ball as the team begins their push to the opposing side of the field.
Huskie Guillermo Chavez sends the ball flying to his teammates at home Saturday against the Ephrata Tigers.
The teams were prepared for a close game after their last encounter ended in a tie.
Othello's Jose Cabrera (18) said the team will continue working hard and work on making shots.
Junior Chavez Mendoza, Jr. steals the ball adding to the Tigers’ strong defensive game.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
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Huskies best Tigers in OT
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OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies (11-5) extended their postseason push after earning a close 2-1 victory in overtime against the Ephrata Tigers (7-10) in the first round of the 2A district tournament. The game winning goal came in second overtime when Othello sophomore Samuel Marroquin knocked the ball into the back of the net. “It was a tough game, Ephrata is definitely a tough opponent, but I feel like we had prepared well for the week,” said Marroquin. “We definitely had a good game plan and we just gave everything. We knew if this was our last game we were going to go out with a bang.” The game was a tight battle from the very beginning as the Tigers and Huskies battled under the hot sun. Othello scored in the first half and maintained their lead in throughout, going into halftime 1-0.
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