Warriors fall to Newport in boys soccer, miss 4A playoffs

The Philomath High School boys soccer team saw its season end Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss at Newport.

The Cubs (9-4-1 overall, 6-3-1 Oregon West) struck first when sophomore Ian Ruiz took a throw-in from sophomore Nemo Frechette and scored on a shot to the left post from 25 yards. Newport maintained the 1-0 advantage at the half.

“We struggled with their midfield ball movement early,” PHS coach Dave Ellis said. “At 20 minutes, we changed formation and gained a foothold on the game.”

Still, the Cubs held the one-goal advantage as the second half got started.

“We changed formation again at half moving Lukas Hernandez to forward with Jacob (Hernandez),” Ellis said. “It paid dividends immediately with a Jacob goal.”

Philomath (8-4-2, 4-4-2) tied the game in the first 45 seconds of the second half. Warriors senior Caleb Babcock started the sequence with a long throw-in downfield. A header and a couple of passes later, Newport attempted an apparent backward pass toward the goalkeeper.

As the Cubs’ keeper came out to try to secure possession, Jacob Hernandez at full sprint intercepted the pass and kicked the ball into the center of the net.

“We pressed most of the second half and had several half chances for the go-ahead goal but it never came,” Ellis said. “Failure to clear a free kick led to conceding a sloppy second (goal) at the back post.”

That occurred in the 63rd minute when sophomore Jhon Manuel scored in traffic from about 12 yards.

Both teams had opportunities to score on penalty kicks. In the second minute, Jacob Hernandez drew a penalty and Sammy Hernandez took the shot but Newport’s keeper saved it. Late in the game, Newport had a PK opportunity that was stopped by Warriors senior goalkeeper Jake McGaughy. On the followup, McGaughy was kicked while on the ground and Newport’s player was hit with a red card.

The Warriors had been fighting for a spot in the Class 4A playoffs but were eliminated with a fourth-place finish in the Oregon West Conference.

Despite missing the postseason, Philomath is currently at No. 9 in the OSAA rankings.

Under a new state playoff format implemented this season, the top two teams in each conference automatically qualify with Stayton (13-0-1, 9-0-1) and Newport representing the Oregon West. The four highest-ranked third-place teams also qualify and North Marion (5-4-3, 5-3-2) will fill that spot out of the conference.

Games remain to be played in 4A with the OSAA rankings not frozen until the conclusion of all contests on Saturday.

Newport 2, Philomath 1
Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Morrow Field, Newport HS

First Half — 1, Newport, Ruiz (Frechette), 37th minute.
Second Half — 2, Philomath, J. Hernandez, 41st minute; 3, Newport, Manuel, 63rd minute.