Jacks leap over Warriors
MATTAWA — Tied at two late in the game, Quincy and Wahluke traded multiple shots on goal down the stretch of the final eight minutes before Quincy junior Crystal Vargas broke the tie on a goal in second-half stoppage time to give the Jacks a 3-2 win over Wahluke.
“I felt motivated to win,” Vargas said. “I’m just so excited to play, and I’m happy that we got our first win of the season.”
Wahluke scored early in Thursday’s game on a goal from freshman Ashya Erazo, later adding another goal and extending its lead in the 21st minute on a penalty kick by junior Maria Barajas.
Despite the two-goal deficit, Quincy kept the pressure on and scored five minutes later on a shot by Vargas. In first-half stoppage time, freshman Arlene Bolanos tied the game at two just before halftime.
“I knew the last 20 minutes for each half were going to be crucial, and that’s exactly when they scored their goals,” Wahluke head coach Cele Lopez said. “Two in the first half and then the last one in the last three minutes.”
Both team’s defenses shut down the opposition’s attack through the first 30 minutes of the second half, but scoring opportunities opened down the stretch of Thursday’s game.
“The second half, they really were attacking when you compare it to the first half,” Quincy Head Coach Kim Avalos said. “They were persistent, persistent, persistent, and I think them being persistent (made them realize) they had those opportunities.”
Vargas got down the field on a run after a Wahluke shot was cleared from in front of the Jackrabbit net, firing a shot to the left of the Warrior goalkeeper for a goal that gave the Jacks a 3-2 lead. It was Vargas’ second goal of the evening and third of the season.
“I really felt like we did this as a whole team,” Vargas said.
The win was Quincy’s first of the season, just two days after a 2-1 loss to Othello. Wahluke fell to 1-1 in the early season.
“It’s really exciting,” Avalos said. “I’m really proud of their effort. It was a little bit of a slow start, but they had to figure out how to come together and they came back stronger that second half.”
After Saturday’s game against Mabton, the Jacks have three more non-league games before Caribou Trail League games begin Sept. 26 against Chelan.
“We just have to analyze the areas that maybe weren’t our strongest points, and the next couple of weeks, just focus on strengthening those areas for when it comes time for league, we’re ready,” Avalos said.
Wahluke started five freshmen in Thursday’s match against Quincy, with the Warriors using early-season non-league contests to fill out the roles left behind by the team’s six graduated seniors from the 2022 season.
“That’s money right there, especially because we have five (non-league games) in a row,” Lopez said. “Five non-league games at the beginning of the season, it’s a good caution for us. We have time to experiment, get that nervousness away from the freshman and new players, try to find those formations.”
Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.
Box score
QUIN: 2-1 3
WAH: 2-0 2
