The Philomath High School boys soccer team pushed fourth-seeded Henley to the limit in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs Tuesday evening in Klamath Falls but fell just short in a match that came down to penalty kicks.
Tied 2-2 at the end of two overtime periods, the Hornets won with a 4-3 advantage in a shootout.
For the Warriors, it was no doubt a disappointing loss to exit the bracket with such a close loss on the road against a highly-ranked opponent, but coach Dave Ellis said the performance served as a reminder of just how far the team had improved over the course of the season.
“We came on and took the No. 4 seed in the state to the end,” Ellis said. “I’m incredibly happy with our performance, you know. But like I tell the boys, ‘the game we love is unfair, right? That’s also why we love it because it’s not predictable, it’s not a given to win any game.’”
On a cold and windy evening at Henley High, the two teams played through a scoreless first half. Philomath had been playing deep defending most of the game, Ellis said, but the Warriors broke through about 12 minutes into the second half on a play that went from senior Silas Pittman to sophomore Jacob Hernandez to sophomore Esias Sapp for a goal back post.
Henley countered at around the 64th minute on a ball put into play on a free kick from about 45 yards out on the right side of the field. Two Hornet players got their heads on the ball and it got through for the goal.
“They had a lot of possessions and we were counter attacking them well but it ended 1-1 and we went to overtime,” Ellis said.
In the first 10-minute overtime, both teams had opportunities but nobody could finish. That changed in the second OT with Henley scoring about 90 seconds in.
“They had a rush and we were a little bit out of shape and they were able to get it through … let a player through the middle and he got onto the end of the pass and spotted it by (goalkeeper) Jake (McGaughy) and we were down,” Ellis said.
Philomath increased its offensive intensity with what time remained to try to find the equalizer.
“We get to more attacking, we go after it, we go after and they’re booting the ball out and wasting time,” Ellis said.
With about 40 seconds left, Philomath had possession and Pittman played Jacob Hernandez in wide left about 40 yards out from the net.
“He did a curling ball through to Sammy, who got clear down the middle,” Ellis said. “Sammy doesn’t have the pace to run away from their center back even though he had a two- or three-yard break but he was able to cut to the side, got onto the ball and just buried it.”
The goal came with just 24 seconds remaining in the second OT.
“Then the clock just winds down before anything can happen so we go to PKs,” Ellis said.
Philomath had to go first in the shootout and both teams made their first two attempts — the Warriors good on kicks by Sammy Hernandez and Pittman. Henley’s goalkeeper made saves, however, on the next two attempts, which were made by junior Caleb Babcock and freshman Dreyton Nuno. McGaughy made a save on Henley’s third kick but the Hornets made the fourth one to go ahead, 3-2.
Philomath’s fifth shooter, Jacob Hernandez, was good on his attempt to tie it back up. But Henley came through on its next try and won the match.
“The cold was a challenge, the travel was a challenge and they have aggressive fans in southern Oregon,” Ellis said when asked about the atmosphere and playing conditions. “And the referees handle games down there a little bit differently — much more physical and that took some adjustment for us but as a whole, I felt like we met the challenge well.”
Ellis said Henley was one of the most talented and well-drilled teams that the Warriors faced this season.
“We talked to the coaches afterwards and they were nothing but complimentary,” Ellis said. “They definitely felt lucky to get by us. They were a very, very good team — probably the most athletic team top to bottom we’ve faced all year. Very, very fast, very strong. They definitely had their way of playing and were well drilled into it.”
Sophomore Luke Balzotti and junior Layne Worrell had goals for the Hornets.
Henley advances to the quarterfinals and will again host with a matchup against fifth-seeded The Dalles, which eliminated Marist Catholic, 4-1. No. 1 Stayton (8-0 over La Grande) and No. 2 North Marion (5-0 over Astoria) out of the Oregon West both moved on as well. The Eagles will next face No. 9 Klamath Union and the Huskies will go up against No. 10 Madras.
Philomath’s season record ends up at 7-6-2.
