Huskies fall just short in overtime against Selah

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies (2-4) played in another high-action game that went into overtime Tuesday against the Selah Vikings (3-4-1). The game came down to penalty kicks, in which Othello came up just short and the Vikings won 3-2. 

"It came down to just the little mistakes," said Huskies Head Coach Victor Quiroz. "They got two goals on my defender just slipping and then the girl just had a breakaway towards the goal. They did a good job and capitalized on that mistake." 

The game was competitive from the start with both the Huskies and the Vikings showing high energy throughout the first half. Selah was first to score, but the Huskies rallied with a goal by junior Abcde Garza to tie the game 1-1 at halftime.

Coming back from the break, Selah once again found an opening to score and claim the lead over Othello. The two teams battled throughout the half with the Vikings defense preventing scores up until the final 30 seconds of the game where Huskies sophomore Piper Uebelacker kicked the ball back into play and junior Mya Rivera sent the ball into the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2 and head into overtime. 

Through both halves of overtime, neither team's defense budged as the offenses looked to close out the night. Othello had a few shots on goal but was unable to score. 

The two teams went into PKs and Selah went five for five on its kicks while Othello only made one of five, giving the victory to the Vikings. 

"Unfortunate tonight and unfortunate last week too, but we're there," said Quiroz. "That's what I told my girls: 'We eliminate those mistakes, we eliminate that miscommunication, and we're that close to being great. Let's do the little things right and we'll be great.'" 

A major highlight for Othello was its ability to rally and never give up even when they were down, he said. In both instances where Selah gained the lead, the Huskies battled to the very last second to tie the game back up. 

"That just goes to show what this team is like," said Quiroz. "Even though we're down, we're still going to keep battling and they did it. I thought we had an opportunity to win it in that first overtime." 

The coach said miscommunication was the big struggle for the Huskies Tuesday night. Where Huskies typically communicate well with one another on the field, against Selah, they had a few issues that resulted in goals for the opposition. 

Both of their overtime games in the past week have shown the Huskies the small aspects of the game that they need to fix. Quiroz said even with both overtime games resulting in losses, Othello's confidence will only grow and the girls will develop into even stronger players as they head deeper into Central Washington Athletic Conference play. 

"It just shows that we can compete," he said. "Quincy's good, Selah's always good, they're always finishing top three in CWAC. We went to East Valley and we played overtime there too. It just goes to show them that we're there." 

At the midpoint of the season, the coach said he is confident in the abilities of his players and if the Huskies can clean up their mistakes, they'll be a tough postseason contender. 

“If they believe it, it’s something that they can accomplish,” said Quiroz. “One of their goals going into the season was being district champs and it’s not far from that, (I told them), ‘You guys can be there, it’s just you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to believe in yourself.’” 

The Huskies head on the road Thursday to face Grandview at 6 p.m. 

BOX SCORE 

SELA: 1-1-1: 3 

OTHL: 1-1-0: 2 

    Othello juniors Mya Rivera (1) and Abcde Garza celebrate after Rivera scored a goal to tie the game in the final moments of the second half.
  

    Bella Garza, a junior from Othello, competes against a Selah player as they use their heads to gain possession of the ball.
  

    Huskies junior Khloe Valdez watches the ball as she passes it toward her teammate during Thursday's game against Selah.
  

    Elizabeth Garcia-Herrera, a sophomore from Othello prepares to throw the ball back into play Thursday evening.
  

    JoJo Hernandez-Guevara, a junior for the Huskies, makes a stop on goal Thursday and gets ready to kick the ball across the field.