Tigers tough out a 2-1 victory over Jacks

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers soccer team (5-7-2) claimed a crucial 2-1 victory over the Quincy Jacks (11-4) Thursday evening for the Battle of the Basin. Both teams entered this game 4-2 in Central Washington Athletic Conference standings, but now Ephrata sits in third and Quincy is fourth. 

“It feels good, it really does,” said Tigers Head Coach Gary Klepec. “We haven’t beat Quincy since they came back into our league, so it’s been a long time waiting for this rivalry to go our way.” 

Ephrata had a dominant first half where they took the lead with a goal from junior Jillian Linehan off an assist by senior Brooklyn Sieverkropp early in the half. The Tigers came close to scoring again with a push later in the half, but the Jacks defense held strong.

Quincy worked hard to get on the board throughout the half as they handled the ball well in the middle of the field but couldn’t find an opportunity to get into the back of the net. The game went into halftime with the Tigers leading 1-0. 

The second half proved to be a more defensive battle in the beginning as both teams worked to prevent another goal. Goal keepers Aylen Garcia from the Jacks and Aiyana Valle from the Tigers had their work cut out for them as they made dives to stop the ball on multiple occasions. 

About midway through the half, Linehan made a tear down the middle of the field with an opening on goal that came just short of making it in. With the help of sophomore Skarlett Sanchez-Medina, Linehan found the opportunity to score the Tigers’ second goal of the night moments later. 

Down 2-0, the Jacks were not ready to give up. Quincy worked to utilize their speed to get themselves back on the board with freshmen Allanah and Briellah Longwill and senior Brielle Baughman applying pressure throughout the field. 

Eventually their offensive blitzes paid off as sophomore Julissa Madera scored for the Jacks late in the second half. With an opportunity to tie the game up and go into overtime, Quincy’s players began applying more pressure on Ephrata, but the Tigers settled back in and held strong to prevent another score and the game ended with the Tigers claiming a 2-1 victory. 

“I’ve got to say, props to the back line tonight,” said Klepec. “They played lights out tonight and then we controlled the middle. They had a couple really good players, and we matched them up and didn’t allow them to get going.” 

The Tigers coach said shutting down speedy players like Allanah Longwill was crucial in their success Thursday and junior Alexis St. Mary did a great job matching up with her.  

After their close victory over Othello Tuesday evening, he said the one thing he had had on the players’ minds was to play a full two halves. This was reiterated throughout the week leading up to Thursday’s matchup, where they did exactly that. 

“The girls at the end said, ‘Hey coach, we played two halves.’ So that was kind of a joke between all of us,” said Klepec. “And we did play two halves; it was fun to watch.” 

Thursday was also senior night for Ephrata as they celebrated McKinley Graaff, Maddy Kellams, Brooklynn Sieverkropp and Megan Truscott. Kellams who was hurt during Thursday’s matchup, was still allowed to participate in a portion of the game where she got to take a kick out of bounds and put the ball back into play. 

“That was pretty cool of Quincy’s coach to let us do that,” said Klepec. “I thank him for that.” 

Coming out of a victory in such an intense rivalry match was something that Klepec said has bonded the Tigers as they enter postseason play. After a shaky postseason, Ephrata has come a long way as they now aim to be a top seed in districts. 

“It just makes us more tight,” he said. “I feel like we’re confident, we won the last three in a row and we’ll go finish up strong and then move on into post season.” 

For Jacks Head Coach Javier Diaz, even though the Jacks didn’t come out on top, he was still very excited with how the game went. 

“Tough game coming to Ephrata, especially with the implications that we had, it was just one of those rivalry games and it lived up to that,” said Diaz. “I thought we played well, it’s just that we couldn’t finish at the end, but we did finish strong.” 

The Jacks coach said he felt Quincy did everything right; it was just Ephrata's night as they made great saves and found the right opportunities to create scores. He was very proud of how the Jacks fought all the way until the very end and climbed back for a chance at overtime, he said. 

“A little bit more time and we probably would have tied it,” he said. 

This game will serve as great preparation for the Jacks heading into the postseason as it highlights the team’s resiliency in the face of adversity. While Tigers found ways to halt the Jacks' speed, Diaz said he noticed that his players got the Tigers defense tired by the end of the game. 

“We have that stamina and just that (constant) attack,” said the Jacks coach. “We just need to finish a little bit more.” 

He said the Jacks will build off what the positives they saw from this past week and continue to solidify the team bonds across the roster. 

“I’m excited for what’s to come,” said Diaz. “I know what the girls’ potential is, I know what they can do and I’m hoping we just tie some of those loose ends and they’re able to show everyone what they’re made of.” 

The Tigers close out the regular season on the road against Prosser Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Jacks return home Tuesday to face Selah at 6 p.m. 

BOX SCORE 

QNCY: 0-1: 1 

EPHT: 1-1: 2 

    Jacks senior Jazmine Sanchez competes for possession of the ball against Tigers senior Brooklynn Sieverkropp.
  

    Jill Linehan, a junior from Ephrata, celebrates her second goal of the night which provided the team a victory over Quincy.
  

    Julissa Madera, a sophomore from Quincy, pushes the ball down the field during Thursday’s matchup against Ephrata.
  

    Tigers junior Alexis St. Mary prepares to kick the ball across the field during Thursday’s game against the Jacks.
  

    Jacks senior Brielle Baughman quickly moves the ball across an open field during a tight game against the Tigers.