Othello in playoff picture after beating Quincy
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Othello's Jazlyhn Verduzco (10) gets a head on the throw-in as Quincy defender Hailey McKee (3) closes in during Tuesday's CWAC match at Husky Field.
OTHELLO — As it stands right now, the rest of the Central Washington Athletic Conference is still chasing unbeaten Selah (13-0, 6-0 CWAC).
Ellensburg (8-3, 5-1) gained a little ground, handing Ephrata (10-3, 5-1) its first CWAC loss, 2-0, in the battle amongst second-place teams Tuesday night.
Where the top of the food chain has its own agenda, Othello (5-6-1, 3-2), under the direction of first-year coach Armando Vasquez, kept pace with Grandview for the fourth-place spot with a 4-1 victory over much improved Quincy (5-6-1, 2-4) Tuesday night at Husky Stadium.
First-year Quincy coach Francisco Tafoya has turned the Jacks program around and despite a one-sided score, it was a nice little matchup for two programs looking to break out of the middle of the CWAC pack.
Othello freshman Hailee Guzman scored the first two goals of the night to give the Huskies a 2-nil lead at the intermission. Freshman Janelly Verduzco had the goal of the night off a corner kick by Hailee Guzman. The Huskies freshman put a head on the ball, driving it past Quincy goalkeeper Zayuri Arizmendi for the third Huskies score of the night.
Quincy’s Brianna Pedregon, a sophomore midfielder, put the Jacks on the board in the second half and Othello’s Gracie Sorenson had the final score of the night.
“I give our defense instructions on where to be in certain situations,” said Huskies goalkeeper Giselle Monroy, who finished the match with two saves. “On the indirects, you have to know when to come out and at what angle. People usually go over the wall at the opposite corner kick. I thought it was a good game for defense.”
Othello converted four scores on eight shots on goal, where the Jacks found the net once on six shots.
“We’ve tied them before 3-3, so we felt good coming in,” Quincy senior defender Hailey McKee said. “But I think we had a lack of communication in the first half. We did pick up the intensity in the second half and that helped.
“I definitely think we need to be more aggressive and pressure the ball to get it back. We need to play more aggressive as a team.”
If the postseason where to begin today, the Huskies would join the six-team tournament where the top two get first-round byes. The Jacks have some work to do if they want to move up into the sixth and final playoff slot.
Othello plays at Ephrata on Saturday and Quincy hosts Prosser on Wednesday.
Quincy 0 1 - 1
Othello 2 2 - 4
O - Hailee Guzman
O - Hailee Guzman
O - Janelly Verduzco (Hailee Guzman)
Q - Brianna Pedregon
O - Gracie Sorenson