Huskies soccer tops Lakeside, surprised by Ephrata
Rodney Harwood/The Sun Tribune - Othello's Bernie Garza Jr. advances the ball with an over-the-shoulder kick at midfield during the Huskies’ 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten Lakeside at Huskie Stadium.
Rodney Harwood/The Sun Tribune - Othello's Chris Alfaro reacts after scoring the Huskies, second goal of the night in the first half of Friday's match against Lakeside.
OTHELLO — What a difference a day makes. The CWAC-leading Othello boys soccer team was riding high after handing previously unbeaten 3A powerhouse Lakeview a 3-2 loss in non-league action Friday at home.
On Saturday, the Huskies (5-1) were handed their first loss of the season in a 2-0 decision to Ephrata. They ended up going 2-1 for the week, having beaten Othello, 1-0, to start the week.
Othello’s Reese Jones smiled for a minute as he thought about whether or not thrower-inner was actually a word. Close enough.
“I’ve been the best thrower-inner on the team since I was a freshman,” he said. “Sometimes I hurt my back I throw it so hard, but I’m just trying to throw it right in the goal.”
The Huskies (5-0 at the time) scored twice on Jones throw-ins Friday night, handing previously unbeaten Lakeside (3-1) its first loss of the season.
Jones was spot on with an arching ball into the goaltender’s box, and Luis Gomez toe poked the loose ball into the net for the first score of the night. Jones made another 20-yard throw to the mouth of the goal allowing Chris Alfaro to make it a 2-1 match with four minutes remaining in the first half.
“Reese can throw it in from anywhere,” Huskie coach Bernie Garza said. “We make different runs at it. Sometimes he puts it on the near post or far post. It’s a real weapon because you can’t stop it.”
Lakeside tied the score at the midway point in the first half. But for the most part, the Huskies controlled the match from start to finish against the 3A program from the Greater Spokane League, which came in having scored 21 goals in its last two matches.
Huskies captain Frankie Ramos made it a 3-1 lead when he beat Eagles goalkeeper Micah Tenney on a penalty kick in the 51st minute. The Eagles did make it a one-goal difference at 78:20, but it was irrelevant at that point.
Othello is finding its success on the offensive end, and the big thing on Friday night was the big throws that led to two goals.
“You have to look for the ball,” Alfaro said regarding the second goal. “It’s about timing and precision. I was able to catch it with my left knee, and I shot it with my left foot. It was amazing.”
Moving Jones off the defensive line to forward has proved to dial up different scoring angles so far this season with the speed of Ramos and Juan Tapia and Jones’s ability to drive inside the box.
“We’re playing a little more aggressive this year since we moved people around,” Jones said. “I went up top. Juan didn’t play with us last year. He has all that speed. Tonight, the second half we were stopping everything defensively.”
Bernie Garza Jr. hit a header into the net on a set piece, direct kick by Sergio Mondragon for the game winner against Prosser. Jose Gomez came up big with 10 saves for the Huskies third shutout in four games.
Othello pressed hard with 13 shots on goal, but could convert on only the one in the 30th minute.