OTHELLO – The Othello Huskies soccer team earned a 2-1 victory in Tuesday night’s game against Toppenish with a penalty kick by Jose Cabrera in overtime. 

“I was a little nervous,” said Cabrera recalling what was going through his mind as he prepared to kick. “To be honest, I was thinking about my mom and my family, they would be proud of me if I scored because it was whoever scores wins.” 

Intense emotions were on display for both teams coming into the game as both teams had an overall record of 6-3-1, giving a higher chance of taking first in the Central Washington Athletic Conference for whoever was to win this game, said Huskies head coach Bernie Garza.  

Toppenish scored a goal putting themselves on top late in the first half. The Huskies kept the pressure on Toppenish’s goalie in the second half until they eventually were able to tie up the game and push into double overtime. 

“We outplayed them, we outshot them, we just couldn’t score,” said Garza. “Then we matched their beautiful goal with our beautiful goal and then it came down to whoever made a mistake.” 

The Huskies game plan coming in was to wear down their competition as much as possible since Toppenish entered the game with fewer players.  

“I told the guys, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing and wear them down,’” said Garza. “In double overtime they finally made a mistake.” 

Cabrera took a few hits throughout the game but kept his composure and played to the end which allowed him to make the game-winning kick in double overtime. Cabrera’s ability to continue to play despite the exhaustion and hits he had taken was why he was chosen as team captain, said the coach. 

Garza said one of the biggest lessons Othello can learn from this game is that not only are they capable of playing against the best teams, but they might also be one of the best teams in the league. On paper they might not be winning games, but they are able to find ways to win as they play. 

The Huskies now sit at a league record of 3-1 and an overall record of 7-3-1 which gives them a high chance at taking first. The top spot is currently held by Selah who is currently 3-0 in league and is the only team to have beaten the Huskies in league so far, said Garza. 

“We just have to just take it one game at a time,” said Garza. “Right now, this is a big win for us and I’m proud of my guys and they just stayed strong.” 

Going forward, Garza wants the team to continue showing the mental fortitude that they showed in this game with that being the key to coming out on top. 

“The mental side of soccer today was on top, they wanted it more,” said Garza. “You can’t coach that, you can’t do that at practice, that comes from the heart.” 

The Huskies' next game will be on the road against Grandview on Tuesday, April 15, at 6 p.m. 

    Huskies’ Larry Maldonado looks for a teammate to pass the ball to as he keeps possession away from Toppenish.
  

    Guillermo Chavez kept up great footwork and made sure the ball moved in his team’s favor.
  

    Othello’s Irving Guzman makes a strong kick towards his teammates.
  

    Asaph Alfaro, Othello, makes a kick toward the center of the field to try to make momentum shift in overtime.
  

    Huskies’ Erick Cruz kept the energy for his team both while playing and on the sidelines.