Heading into a season-opening girls soccer match between Philomath and Gladstone, not much seemed to be separating the two teams.
Last season, both the Gladiators and Warriors finished among the top two in their respective conferences and advanced into the Class 4A quarterfinals. In the OSAAtoday preseason coaches’ poll, Gladstone and Philomath were ranked No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
The two teams met Thursday evening in Gladstone but still, not much separates the two programs with the game ending in a 1-1 tie.
“It was a physical battle with several momentum changes,” PHS coach Mat Phelps said. “We felt like we should have capitalized on more chances but it was a good road test to help us see where we are at.”
The game started an hour later than had been originally planned because of excessive heat. Phelps reported that it was very hot when the game got underway but was better in the second half.
In the heat, neither team could manage to find the net with a scoreless tie at the break. Philomath (0-0-1) then went up 1-0 on a goal by senior forward Sophia Bauer, the assist credited to freshman forward Kya Bolton.
Gladstone (0-0-1) was able to score the equalizer 15 minutes later on a long goal.
The Warriors are scheduled to play their first home game of the season Tuesday against Valley Catholic with a start time of 4 p.m.