Bulldogs knock off Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake kept visiting Pasco off of the scoreboard for the majority of the first half Tuesday night, but the Bulldogs slipped the ball into the back of the net late on their way to a 3-0 win over the Chiefs.

Moses Lake and Pasco battled for field position throughout the first half with neither the Bulldogs nor the Chiefs able to grab the dominant advantage early.

As the first half progressed, Pasco began to take advantage of field position on their way to a goal late in the first half. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead with less than 7 minutes before halftime and Moses Lake head coach Ric Char said the Bulldogs played well.

“Pasco came to play tonight,” he said. “I think we may have overestimated them.”

Tuesday night’s matchup with Pasco marked Moses Lake’s halfway point in Columbia Basin Big Nine Conference play and Char has his team at 4-4.

Although Moses Lake is .500 and aiming for a run into the postseason, Char said his team is not without their bumps and bruises.

“We have been hit by injuries and we have a long week this week,” he said. “We have three games this week.”

While Moses Lake is battling injuries, Char said his team is different than teams he has coached in the past.

“We are definitely a different team,” he said. “We are realizing how good we are and we can compete. We have some good talent coming up and we have some talented athletes.”

With Moses Lake trailing 1-0 to start the second half, Moses Lake pressured the Bulldogs early. The Chiefs tried to move the ball down the field throughout the first 15 minutes before the Bulldogs capitalized on their transition offense.

Pasco turned a potential game-tying possession from Moses Lake into a 2-0 advantage when the Bulldogs offense raced down the field after denying the Chiefs.

The Bulldogs took advantage of numbers on offense and scored 15 minutes into the second half to put the game out of reach for Pasco.

Pasco scored their final goal of the contest on a penalty kick with 16 minutes left in the game to end Moses Lake’s threat.

The Chiefs return to the pitch Thursday night when they travel to Southridge to take on the Suns. Moses Lake will return to the friendly confines of Lions Field Saturday when they host Chiawana at 1 p.m.