OTHELLO – The Huskies soccer team (14-5-1) bested Franklin Pierce 5-0 in the opening round of the 2A state tournament Tuesday to move on to the quarterfinals. 

“We hadn’t played since last Tuesday, so the guys were just itching, they were ready to go and play,” Huskies Head Coach Bernie Garza said. “We were possessing the ball, giving one-two combination passes, and right there in front of the goal area we finished.” 

Franklin Pierce was the defending state champion going into this tournament, so the Huskies had to refrain from holding anything back in this game, Garza said. The Huskies were pumped up and ready to play and scored within the first minute of the game when Eric Cruz stole the ball from a midfielder and passed it to Jose Cabrera for a goal that passed both the defender and the goalie. 

Franklin Pierce had taken a couple of shots throughout the game that came close, but Huskies goalie Jaime Rodriguez came up with some critical saves, preventing Franklin Pierce from scoring. Cabrera was fouled in the box around the 15th minute, converting the penalty kick into another score for the Huskies. 

“After that, I started making substitutions,” Garza said. “We were high-tempo, high-pressured, and then we scored those two quick goals, and it was like we could relax now.” 

Following the substitutions, Andrew Sorenson got a through ball putting him one-on-one against the goalie where he put up another score right before the end of the first half, putting the team at a 3-0 lead. 

In the second half, Cabrera scored off a throw-in early on with a quick short-range kick to the back of the net. Asaph Alfaro scored the final goal of the game from a breakaway of the left side of the field. He took a shot at the goalie, who couldn’t prevent the score, giving the Huskies their 5-0 victory and sending them on to the next game in the bracket. 

“Overall, our defense played solid, and Rodriguez did a really good job of limiting their shots on goal,” Garza said. “We just played our game and had them on their heels the whole game.” 

The Huskies are now preparing to play in the quarterfinals against the number three seed, Columbia River. The Huskies had come up short against Columbia River in the tournament a couple years back so the team is hoping that they can win with the skills they have built up since then, the coach said. 

“They’ve got a new formation that we’re not used to playing against, some stuff that they do that’s almost college level that we need to be able to stop,” Garza said. 

The team is confident in each other's abilities and will continue to hone their skills that have brought them success all year as they make their way deeper into the brackets of the state tournament. 

“From now on, it’s all mental,” he said. “On paper, we have one of the best teams in the state, but you don’t win games on paper, you win them on the field.” 

The Huskies will go on the road to face Columbia River High School tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the 2A state soccer tournament. 

BOX SCORE
OTHL: 3-2: 5
FRPC: 0-0: 0 

    Asaph Alfaro scored the final goal of the game which earned the Huskies their 5-0 victory.
  

    Andrew Sorenson was subbed in for the Huskies in the first half of the game and soon after scored a goal in a one-on-one against the goalkeeper.
  

    Larry Maldonado keeps his eye on the ball as he moves it down the field.
  

    Guillermo Chavez throws the ball back into play. The Huskies scored off a throw in during the second half of the game.