The Hockinson Hawks soccer team put its depth to the test to take down the Ridgefield Spudders in an intense 1-0 game on Thursday, April 16.
The Hawks gained their second win against the Spudders this season, which placed them alone in second place in the league standings of the 2A Greater St. Helens League. However, for Hockinson, the win meant a little more.
“It was a big win for a lot of reasons for us, not just for the standings, but just internally, we’ve been dealing with a lot,” Hockinson head coach Tony Ayala said, adding that he had a junior varsity player come up and play and had to rely on the bench for a couple of key spots in the win. “I think it’s important to have guys who do not get constant minutes to play in a game like this and feel like they contributed, which they did, and then get the result, because all that does is give them the confidence when we’re going to need them down the stretch.”
Ayala said the first half of the game may have been flat and not quite up the standards of the rivalry intensity. But the second half was a totally different battle.
“I thought for both teams the first half wasn’t their best performance,” he said. “I thought Ridgefield struggled a little back in the back and they were throwing numbers forward, you know. But it’s the second half that both teams came out. They came out with really good energy, and we talked about at halftime we have to lay it out on the field.”
Hockinson put the pedal down to continue control in Ridgefield’s defensive end, especially in the second half as a lengthy, tough goal by Ryder Cole-Vogler was the deciding factor in the one-score game.
Ayala added that the game was similar to playoff soccer.
“We call them a rival, and every game that we play against these guys is a battle,” he said. “So, we won that playoff mentality.”
Heading toward the postseason, the Hawks will have to play a couple big league opponents once more. The Hawks held a late lead but suffered a critical injury during a 4-2 loss to R.A. Long High School. Ayala said the Hawks historically play well on home grass against the Lumberjacks of Longview.
But the biggest test will be making it a competitive affair against the powerhouse Columbia River Rapids, who beat Hockinson 5-0 the first matchup of the season.
“We felt a bit embarrassed in that River game, I’m not going to lie to you,” Ayala said. “We went into that game with some high hopes, you know. We obviously had some injuries, but we can’t make that an excuse. It’s going to be something that’s going to haunt us a little bit this year. We lose 5-0, and it’s just disappointing because River’s going to be River, you hear all that time. But still, I think they’re a team that we can compete with. I really do.”
After a much needed two-game week, for the first time during the season not having a three-game week, the Hawks will return to a trio of matchups across five days.
The Hawks first played the Woodland Beavers on Monday, April 20, but results were unavailable at press time. Hockinson next plays at Washougal High School on Wednesday, April 22, at 7 p.m., and at home against the R.A. Long Lumberjacks on Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
The Ridgefield Spudders played against Washougal High School on Monday, April 20, with results unavailable at press time, and next against Mark Morris High School at home on Wednesday, April 22, at 7 p.m., and at Columbia River High School on Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m.
