Othello knocks off Wapato to advance

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies avoided elimination Thursday afternoon with a 2-0 victory over the Wapato Wolves in a loser-out Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC) district soccer contest.

Othello rebounded from a loss Tuesday to hold off Wapato and the Huskies advanced to the consolation finals of the CWAC district tournament.

The Huskies jumped on the scoreboard in the game’s 12th minute when B.G. Guzman fielded a pass from Enrique Romero and put the ball in the back of the Wapato net.

After the Huskies took the early 1-0 advantage, Othello relied on smothering defensive pressure to keep the Wolves scoreless, said Othello head coach Bernie Garza.

“We were able to control the midfield,” he said. “We had been struggling to control the gaps and our defense stayed focus. It was 1-0 for a long time so the defense played well.”

Othello kept the Wolves off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half and Garza said his attack slowed after the Huskies took the lead.

“Once we scored that first goal, my forwards stopped pressuring their defense,” he said. “We can’t do that. My midfielders were attacking the net but my forwards needed to be more aggressive.”

Although Othello’s offensive pressure slowed after his team took the lead, Garza said his team was still able to attack the net.

“We had 25 shots to their nine,” he said.

Othello still held a 1-0 advantage throughout much of the contest before Romero put the game out of reach in the 74th minute. Romero  beat the Wapato goalie and found the back of the net for Othello, propelling the Huskies to a 2-0 victory.

With the win over Wapato, the Huskies advanced to the consolation finals where they will meet Columbia Basin rival Quincy for the CWAC’s third and final spot into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2A state playoffs, Garza said.

“The game is going to be on the line, the season is going to be on the line,” he said. “Whoever wins is going on to state.”

Othello wrapped up the district’s top seed after claiming the first conference title of Garza’s career and Othello’s coach said it is an advantage for his team to host the consolation finals.

“It is nice to be the No. 1 seed,” he said. “We get to play at home and that is nice for our players. If we win we will have to travel at state, but the first thing is to get the win on Saturday.”

Othello will host Quincy at 1 p.m.