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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2017)
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS PENDLETON Prep Roundup Bucks stun Bulldogs with draw Pendleton snaps long losing streak to Hermiston By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian PENDLETON — The Pendleton boys soccer team walked off the fi eld on Tuesday evening with big smiles on their faces, something that’s been a rarity for the struggling Buckaroos program. The Buck- aroos played Boys Soccer perhaps their best game of the season and it came against Hermiston their rival Herm- iston, a team that has beat up on them over the past seven-plus years, and earned Pendleton a 1-1 draw. The game snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, dating back to a 4-3 win over Hermiston on Sept. 15, 2009. “This feels really good,” said Pendleton senior Nick Oja, who scored the Buckaroos’ lone goal. “I just feel grateful for my team, my coach and the crowd out here cheering tonight, it just feels good.” Pendleton (1-7-1 overall, 0-2-1 CRC) went after Hermiston (6-3-2, 1-0-2) with a physical defensive approach to try and slow down the fast-paced Bulldogs offense. It worked for much of the game, as the Bulldogs could rarely work into a quality scoring opportunity without a Buckaroo defender stealing the ball or getting a body on a pass. “We defi nitely wanted to slow them down because we know they’re an oustanding team in the state,” Pendleton coach Jeremy Talbot said. “Our focus was defi - nitely defense fi rst, because defense can lead to some good offense.” The Buckaroos’ defense held tight throughout the entirety of the fi rst half and for most of the second, until Hermiston fi nally broke the scoreless draw with 17 minutes remaining in the game with a controversial goal. Hermiston’s Mark Mejia lined Dawgs rally for a fi ve-set victory Hermiston volleyball earns fi rst league win East Oregonian 1 HERMISTON — The young Hermiston volleyball team has been put through the ringer for most of its season. The Bulldogs were on a 12-game Volleyball l o s i n g skid, and currently sit in last The Dalles place in the Columbia R i v e r Conference standings. Match Hermiston after match, Hermiston would put in the effort but it just wouldn’t pay off. That is until Tuesday night. The Bulldogs won their fi rst league game in a long fi ve-set match. They defeated The Dalles Riverhawks 3-2 in a match where their hard work came to fruition. Hermiston took the fi rst set in a nail bitter, 27-25. “We came out strong,” Dyck said. “We won the fi rst set, and they hung in there. It was our classic style of getting up and coming back down, but when push came to shove they battled through.” The Bulldogs (3-13 overall, 1-6 CRC) then dropped their next two sets, 11-25, 23-25. But Dyck knew the girls had it in them, as they faced a similar situation a week ago against Pendleton and have been catching up to the Riverhawks (6-10, 2-5) each meeting. “The last couple of times See PREP ROUNDUP/3B 2 1 3 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Hermiston’s Mark Mejia fi ghts for position with Pendleton’s Drew Lunny in the Bulldogs’ 1-1 draw against the Bucks on Tuesday in Pendleton. up near the corner left of Pendle- ton’s goal for a throw-in, fi nding Joel Mendez just in front of him. As Mendez settled the ball, his left hand appeared to make contact with the ball prior to sending a cross in front of the net which Noe Silva buried in the net for a 1-0 lead. At the time, it seemed like the goal was a game-sealer. However, Pendleton was not ready to quit this time, something that has plagued the team for awhile. “In the past when we’ve had that kind of adversity, we’ve folded,” Talbot said. “But with the experience they’re getting lately, they’re learning to fi ght trhough the adversity and trust that we’re going to have an opportunity if we stick to the plan.” And Pendleton fought back, and just seven minutes later, senior Nick Oja sent a booming kick from just outside the top, left corner of the box and beat Hermiston goalkeeper Juan Navarrete to the far corner to tie the game at 1-1. “I was playing possession and I think I was covered on the left and right,” Oja recalled, “but not the center. I saw the goalie was a little See BOYS SOCCER/3B PENDLETON Hermiston shuts out Pendleton, picks up fi rst league win on road Bulldogs hang onto bragging rights over Buckaroos By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ East Oregonian PENDLETON — In a last minute change, the Hermiston girl’s soccer team hit the road to face their cross-town rival the Pendleton Buckaroos. With a shortage of referees effecting previously sched- uled game times, the Bull- dogs made the choice to join the boys in Pendleton for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff. The switch didn’t seen to hurt the visitors, as Hermiston picked up a 3-0 Girls Soccer Hermiston Pendleton 3 0 shutout victory for its fi rst league win. Both teams entered the match winless in the Columbia River Confer- ence (CRC), but it was the Bulldogs (4-5-2 overall, 1-0-2 CRC) who came out victorious. When asked about the girl’s win after the game, head coach Danielle MacBride was glad the girls were able to grind it out. “It was okay,” she said. “It was Pendleton. It’s always a battle for us, so Staff photo by E.J. Harris Hermiston’s McKayla Pacheco shoots a penalty shot on goal guarded by Pendleton keeper Ashlyn Madril in the Bulldogs’ 3-0 win against the Bucks on Tuesday in Pendleton. we’ll take the win.” Both teams were held scoreless for much of the fi rst half, until Hermiston fi nally found the back of the net with seven minutes left until the break. Freshman Amanda Nygard got the Bulldogs on the board, and led her team into the half with a 1-0 lead over the Buckaroos (1-7-1, 0-3-0). Hermiston picked up two more insurance goals in the second half and from the efforts of sophomore goalkeeper Lanie Gomez, the Bulldogs were able to hold the Bucks at bay. It was a big win for Hermiston, as only one team from the CRC will earn a playoff birth. Right now, Hood River Valley holds the top spot with a 2-0-1 league record. The Bulldogs will be able to work out some kinks before they face the Eagles when they host The Dalles on Thursday for Senior Night. “Every day is a new day with this group,” MacBride said. “You know what they are cable of. We’re still just trying to keep up the consis- tency, and with every win you carry the momentum with you so hopefully we can keep it up for Thursday when we have home fi eld advantage.” In the two team’s previous match up Sept. 26, they ended the game in a 0-0 draw. It was the fi rst league game for both teams. Pendleton will try for its fi rst league win again on Thursday when it hosts Hood River Valley at 6 p.m. ——— Contact Alexis at aman- sanarez@eastoregonian. com or 541-564-4542. Follow her on Twitter @ almansanarez. Sports shorts Heppner native name Frontier Conference Golfer of the Week LEWISTON, Id. — Heppner native and current-Lewis-Clark State golfer Blake Greenup was honored by the Frontier Conference on Monday as the Golfer of the Week. Greenup, now a senior, garnered the honor after winning the Warrior Invitational at the Lewiston Golf & Country Club last week. In the tournament, she shot a 36-hole score of 151 and won by two strokes over teammate Greenup Marissa Louder. The Warriors also brought home the team title with the help of Greenup as well. This week, Greenup and the Warriors are competing in Gleneden Beach at the Coastal Collegiate Challenge. On Tuesday, Greenup fi nished off a fi fth place fi nish with a nine-over 151 and the Warriors fi nished in second place. “I told the group that Messi does not owe Argentina a World Cup, but rather football owes the world to him. Argentina took a step forward, and in time we can be competitive.” — Jorge Sampaoli Argentine head coach said after Lionel Messi’s three goals sent Argentina into the World Cup on the last day of South American qualifying. Vegas Golden Knights win home opener 5-2 over Arizona LAS VEGAS (AP) — James Neal scored twice during a thrilling four-goal fi rst period, and the Vegas Golden Knights remained unbeaten three games into their inaugural season with a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes in their home opener on Tuesday night. Tomas Nosek scored the fi rst home goal in franchise history just 2:31 into the fi rst period, and Deryk Engelland added his fi rst goal for his adopted hometown’s new team moments later. Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for the Golden Knights, who became the fi rst team in NHL history to begin their debut season with three straight wins. Just nine days after the Las Vegas Strip shooting massacre, the Golden Knights honored the victims and heroes before the long-awaited home debut of the city’s fi rst major professional sports franchise. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1890 — The fi rst 100-yard dash under 10 seconds is run by John Owens at 9.8 in an AAU track and fi eld meet in Washington. 1992 — Dave Krieg becomes the 15th quarter- back in history with 200 touchdown passes, throwing three in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 24-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. 2011 — The U.S. women roll to their third title at the world gymnastics cham- pionships held in Tokyo. The Americans fi nish with 179.411 points, a whopping 4 points ahead of Russia, last year’s champion. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
