Standing in front of the net with a sweeping view of the soccer field, Philomath High goalkeeper Heidi Bacho can easily spot areas of need and guide teammates in the appropriate direction. A vocal communicator, the Warriors senior also provides a steady flow of positive reinforcement to create energy in the heat of battle.
“I do my best to explain what they need to see and what could help them,” Bacho said following Philomath’s 1-0 victory Thursday afternoon over Cascade. “But really, they’re just a strong defense. I’m super proud of those girls because they put a lot of effort into what they do and along with our midfield and forwards, it’s just a whole team effort. But these defenders are really good — I’m happy to have them.”
Gallery: PHS girls soccer vs. Cascade (Oct. 3, 2024)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 1-0 girls soccer win over Cascade on Thursday.
The defense has been relentless over the past few weeks and has not yet allowed a goal in three conference games. In fact, Philomath has a streak of four straight shutouts dating back to a Sept. 19 win at Junction City and followed by wins over Sweet Home, Stayton and Cascade.
“It starts with Heidi in the back,” PHS coach Mat Phelps said about the defense. “Even though she doesn’t touch the ball a lot, she’s communicating with her teammates, telling them where they should be and that’s really good.”
In the win over the Cougars, Philomath controlled possession most of the way but there were times when the back-line defenders needed to slow down the opponent’s opportunities. The senior lineup of Melea Lattin, Aspen Russell and Kateri Pindell made several plays on the ball.
“We just feel real comfortable with Melea, with Kateri and with Aspen knowing that they’re going to be in the right spot,” Phelps said. “We’re able to commit more people forward knowing that we can trust them.”
Russell, in particular, had two standout stops in the game’s first 10 minutes to provide Cascade with a hint of things to come over the course of the afternoon.
“She’s done really good at stepping in the middle and it’s a big role because it means you leave your position open,” Bacho said. “But I’m confident that she can get back (to where she needs to be).”
Pindell scored the game’s only goal in the 56th minute when she found herself in position for a shot. Freshman Kya Bolton put the ball in play on one of Philomath’s 18 corner kicks and after it was knocked around a bit, Pindell finished from about 25 yards with an assist by junior Logan Cook.
“We had a corner kick and the ball came back out and she stepped two and has a great shot from the outside,” Phelps said. “She scored two goals like that against Sweet Home … I’m not surprised that she did that.”
Philomath had several other chances to score but the shots were not cooperating, including an attempt by senior Sophia Bauer that hit the right post in the 23rd minute, Cascade’s keeper falling on it with Bolton in the area for a possible rebound opportunity.
Junior Ana Candanoza came very close to scoring a few minutes later on a setup from sophomore Jordyn Hood but the keeper was in position for a catch to the right side. Candanoza had another opportunity after halftime with the net opening up on a play in the 54th minute but a Cascade defender alertly stepped in to disrupt the threat.
Coaches will often say they don’t mind a close game just to see how their team will react to adversity and pressure. Then again, it’s also not a bad idea to create a more safe cushion to make sure a victory is nailed down. Phelps sees both sides of it.
“It makes you battle tested, right? You’ve got to fight, you’ve got to dig deep and just really mentally be there for 80 minutes,” Phelps said. “But you also like it to be comfortable at the end.”
Those final five minutes in a 1-0 game can be especially nerve-racking.
“You’re looking at the watch a little bit,” Phelps said. “But yeah, I mean, it wasn’t a scenario with a lot of back-and-forth. It was ‘are we going to get a second or third (goal)’ because we were knocking on the door constantly.”
Philomath goes to 4-2-1 overall following the season’s challenging start with a depleted roster. The team appears to have discovered a rhythm on both ends of the field through the four-game win streak.
Bacho’s been there for it all.
“We’ve been getting better and all of those girls are working really hard at practice and in games just to do what they can,” Bacho said of the starters that missed time with injuries. “What I’m trying to do in the back is to encourage them and just help them see what they should see and give them points when they need it. But they’re doing good.”
Philomath’s next match will be a big one as far as the conference standings go with a trip over to North Marion. The Huskies are also 3-0 in league play and 4-3 overall, although those losses were against teams with a combined 21-4-2 record. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.
