As the final seconds ticked away in Philomath High’s regular-season home finale Thursday afternoon, the visitors from North Marion put together one last offensive push. Huskies junior Juruen Delgado got off a shot.
The sequence in front of the net happened fast.
Gallery: PHS boys soccer vs. North Marion (Oct. 23, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s regular-season home finale in boys soccer against North Marion on Thursday.
Philomath’s senior goalkeeper, Jake McGaughy, dove to his right to deflect the shot, then scrambled back to secure the ball. As he went down to gather it, the opposing player came in underneath him.
“I touched the ball but he tripped up on me and so they deemed that a foul because I interfered with him,” McGaughy said. “Put me on the line. I was breathing a little heavy there.”
North Marion junior Christian Delgado Ortiz lined up to take the penalty kick. While he prepared for the shot, McGaughy entered a state of complete focus.
“I was just thinking about what he was doing, thinking where he was gonna go, what his body looked like, what his body language was telling me and just locked in,” he said. “I couldn’t hear anything else. And he shot it.”
The moment unfolded almost in slow motion.
“I almost felt like he was gonna go right — but he hit under the ball, put a backspin on it and tried to chip me and I just stood there,” McGaughy said. “I felt myself twitch a little bit to the right but as soon as I saw it come off his foot, just a slow backspin, I just felt it and stayed there.”
The final whistle sounded a few seconds later and the game ended in a scoreless tie. Warriors coach Dave Ellis said it was the best his team has played all season.
“North Marion, they struggled early in the season but (coach) Rafael (Perez) really has them playing well,” Ellis said. “They have a plan and they know what they’re doing and they’re fast and they’re dangerous and they’re intense.”
The game featured five yellow cards with two on North Marion senior Marcos Mejia Nolasco. Two yellows equals a red and he was ejected from the game with 3 seconds left in the first half. The Huskies had to play a man down throughout the second half.
“We’ll be disappointed that we didn’t score up a man for a half but you know, they were still able to put pressure on us and cause us problems,” Ellis said. “Once they got that red card, they weren’t afraid to lose. They were just trying to get the goal, get the goal, and so we had to absorb that pressure.”
Philomath did have chances. For example, in the fifth minute, sophomore Sammy Hernandez attempted a bicycle kick in the box on a setup header by junior Jacob Hernandez. The shot was well-timed but just missed. There were also various free kick and corner kick opportunities.
In the 60th minute, Jacob Hernandez got past the goalkeeper and appeared to be on his way to finishing but he collided with North Marion’s Delgado and the Huskies were able to clear.
“We needed to show a bit more composure in the final third but at the end of the day, I’m happy we didn’t concede,” Ellis said. “I’m happy with how the team played and I’m happy to have gone through that game because that’s playoff intensity and we get it in league play.”
Philomath remains in contention for the Class 4A playoffs. The top two teams in the conference will earn automatic berths into the field and in addition, four at-large third-place teams will get in. The Warriors have a chance if they can pull off a win Tuesday at Newport.
As for the pivotal stop near the end of the game on the PK, McGaughy said both instinct and preparation were factors.
“It comes down to you wanting to try and know what they’re doing,” he said. “You can’t always know on high-level teams — it’s really just guess and dive to one side.”
The senior credits his success to experience, having faced penalty kicks in high-pressure situations before. Practice also plays a role.
“We do them at least two times a week,” he said. “I’ll get in goal and kids will shoot PKs on me for them to refine how they do their PKs and for me to refine how I save them.”
Stopping a penalty kick carries special significance.
“It’s a great feeling,” McGaughy said. “It’s not as close as to when you get them in the playoffs but it feels good when you get them because that’s all on you there. There’s nobody else that can help you.”
The team’s 10 seniors were recognized prior to the game — Luke Arthurs, Caleb Babcock, Liam Bennett, Tlacaelel Brambila Boatner, Zach Grapoli, Blake Hauck, Lukas Hernandez, Jose Martinez, McGaughy, Cameron McLennan
Philomath’s game Tuesday at Newport is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Philomath 0, North Marion 0
Thursday, Oct. 23, at Philomath HS
| Teams (Record) | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Marion (5-2-2, 5-4-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philomath (8-3-2, 4-3-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |