Facing an early deficit, the Philomath High School girls soccer team never panics. In last spring’s 4A State Showcase, for example, the Warriors trailed Gladstone 90 seconds into the game but came back to advance with a 2-1 victory. A similar scenario unfolded on Tuesday afternoon in the Warriors’ 3-2 win over Henley.
The Hornets struck first with a goal in the game’s third minute.
“We got caught kind of in a transition really early,” PHS coach Mat Phelps said. “We had a similar chance that we missed and then got caught; we just didn’t get pressure on the ball and the keeper came out and didn’t get it and they pushed around her.”
But Philomath responded in the same manner as that Gladstone game last spring or even the following week’s semifinal showdown against North Marion when the Warriors trailed in the ninth minute only to come back and force a shootout.
“I think that experience from the girls, that having been there knowing that an early goal doesn’t define the game, that you can continue playing,” Phelps said. “So I was really proud of the way that they handled it — all of them — and really bounced back.”
It took a while to score the equalizer but with the way the game had been flowing, it only seemed like a matter of time.
“We controlled it and we just were getting chance after chance after chance after that really controlling possession and then we finally got that first one in,” Phelps said.
Junior Elizaeth Morales-Marquez found the net in the 38th minute with sophomore Kamilla Grimmer picking up the assist. The game was tied 1-1 at halftime.
“Going into the half, we had a lot of really positive talking points that we responded to and came out to control the game,” Phelps said. “In the second half, we did that, came out and got a quick one to take a 2-1 lead.”
Philomath went up within the first 10 minutes of the second half on another finish by Morales-Marquez, who was able to poke the ball in on a rebound after the keeper couldn’t fully handle a shot on goal by Grimmer.
Philomath held on to just a one-goal lead for a 16-minute stretch but Phelps said the Warriors had the advantage with possession.
“We were controlling the game really well and just really pressing and getting a lot of opportunities,” Phelps said.
Phelps said sophomore Bailey Bell created a lot of havoc down the sideline against Henley and he also saw Philomath’s midfielders controlling a lot of the play with senior Ella Weickum, senior K Bacho and Grimmer.
In the 64th minute, the Warriors took a two-goal lead. Freshman Petra Hernandez was on the end of Philomath’s third goal on the far post with Bell credited with an assist.
Late in the game, Henley (10-5) started to come at Philomath with a more aggressive approach. The Hornets scored in the 71st minute to cut their deficit to 3-2.
“They were bringing more attackers forward at that point and really pushing the girls you know,” Phelps said. “We got caught out of position on that second goal again; just weren’t able to clear it out and the field conditions were a little rough.”
Protecting a one-goal advantage, Philomath responded the rest of the way.
“After that second one, we kept everything in front of us, we kept our heads and we were able to maintain possession and even go down and get a couple more opportunities,” Phelps said. “It was a really good battle … a lot of fun actually. Several girls said after the game that this was just a fun soccer game — they played hard, we played hard.”
Sixth-seeded Philomath (10-2-3) advances to the quarterfinals for a rematch against third-seeded North Marion (11-3-1). The Huskies ended up winning that shootout in last spring’s showcase and went on to take the tournament title. This season, the Warriors took a 1-0 victory over North Marion in the season opener for both teams.
The game will be played on North Marion’s field on Saturday with the start time to be determined.
Philomath 3, Henley 2
Tuesday, Nov. 2, at Philomath HS
| TEAMS (RECORDS) | 1H | 2H | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henley (10-5) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Philomath (10-2-3) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| SCORING SUMMARY |
|---|
| First Half: 1, Henley, 3rd minute; 2, Philomath, Elizabeth Morales-Marquez (Kamilla Grimmer), 38th minute. Second Half: 3, Philomath, Morales-Marquez, 48th minute; 4, Philomath, Petra Hernandez (Bailey Bell), 64th minute; 5, Henley, 71st minute. |
Class 4A State Playoffs
First Round
Tuesday, Nov. 2
(1) Gladstone 5, (16) Newport 0
(8) Marist Catholic 3, (9) Sisters 1
(5) La Grande 1, (12) Corbett 0
(4) Woodburn 2, (13) North Valley 1 (PKs, 4-3)
(3) North Marion 6, (14) Astoria 0
(6) Philomath 3, (11) Henley 2
(7) Valley Catholic 4, (10) Mazama 0
(2) Hidden Valley 5, (15) Estacada 0
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 6
(8) Marist Catholic at (1) Gladstone
(5) La Grande at (4) Woodburn
(6) Philomath at (3) North Marion
(7) Valley Catholic at (2) Hidden Valley
Note: Times to be announced
Semifinals
Tuesday, Nov. 9
Marist Catholic-Gladstone winner vs. La Grande-Woodburn winner
Philomath-North Marion winner vs. Valley Catholic-Hidden Valley winner
Saturday, Nov. 13
At Liberty HS, Hillsboro
Championship Match
Semifinal winners
PhilomathNews.com has no paywall and to keep it that way, we rely on voluntary memberships. If you’re already a member, thank you for contributing. To join our community as a member or to make a one-time contribution, please CLICK HERE.