Toppenish topples Ephrata

EPHRATA — Although the Tigers clawed their way to a 2-1 halftime advantage Thursday night, the Ephrata boys soccer team couldn’t fend off a relentless Toppenish attack as Ephrata fell 3-2 at home.

Ephrata pounced on Toppenish early, taking a 1-0 lead just two minutes into Thursday’s Central Washington Athletic Conference contest.

The Tigers took the early lead when senior midfielder Taylor Kirkham blasted a shot toward the Wildcats goal. The Toppenish goalie deflected Kirkham’s shot and Ephrata sophomore forward Ramon Sanchez controlled the ricochet and put the ball in the back of the net for the Tigers.

The Tigers took to the field determined to keep their home record perfect, said Ephrata head soccer coach Keith Laughlin.

“We came out with great intensity,” he said of his team’s start.

After Ephrata took a 1-0 lead on their home field, the Tigers defense kept the Wildcats at bay for more than 15 minutes before Toppenish wore down Ephrata and found a way to slip the ball past junior goalie and captain Jordan Hurst.

Although the Wildcats found a way to even the contest midway through the first half, Ephrata recovered to take a 2-1 lead a few minutes later when Sanchez found the back of the Toppenish net for the second time in the first half.

While the Tigers controlled the scoreboard throughout the first half, Laughlin said his team struggled to start the second.

“The second half we were a little flat early on,” he said.

Despite a sluggish start to the second half, Ephrata’s defense stood strong and denied Toppenish an opportunity to score.

Toppenish continued to pressure the Ephrata defense throughout the second half and the Wildcats were able to take advantage of multiple corner kicks for the opportunity to pull even with the Tigers.

The Wildcats forced Ephrata to knock the ball out on their own end line and Toppenish was awarded a corner kick from the southeast corner of the field. Toppenish lifted the ball high into the April sky before it fell, deflected off of an Ephrata player and into the back of the net to tie the game for the Wildcats.

After Toppenish pulled even with Ephrata, the Tigers and the Wildcats continued to battle on the pitch. Toppenish continuously worked to take the lead on the road and Ephrata was determined to defend their home field.

With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Toppenish earned another corner kick.

The Wildcats kicked the ball in play and after a series of passes, Toppenish took a 3-2 lead with little time remaining.

Toppenish was able to capitalize on a series of free kicks to rally and knock of Ephrata, Laughlin said.

“We let our emotions get the best of us,” he said. “We were fouling and giving them a lot of set-plays.

Toppenish took a 3-2 lead near the end of regulation and Ephrata played the rest of the contest with an extreme sense of urgency. Ephrata continued to attack the net before a stingy Toppenish defense was able to deny them the game-tying goal and the Wildcats came away with the victory.

Despite the home loss, Laughlin said he was proud of the way his team finished out the contest.

“I loved our heart at the end,” he said. “We were able to create some opportunities late.”