A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
SPORTS
BAKER GIRLS SOCCER
Baker falls to Buckaroos
By COREY KIRK
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
The Baker girls soccer
team struggled to get to the
ball first and it was reflected
in the score as the Bulldogs
fell 10-2 to the Pendleton/
Weston-McEwen Buckaroos
on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 31,
at the Baker Sports Complex.
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker’s Sydnee Pierce dribbles past Pendleton/
Weston-McEwen’s Madaline Schumacher on her way
to Baker’s first goal on Tuesday, Aug. 31 at the Baker
Sports Complex.
Baker assistant coach
Christine Teegarden said
a focus for Baker, both in
practice and in matches, is
“to the ball” — encouraging
players to control the ball
on each possession. That’s a
key to maintaining offensive
momentum and getting
shots on goal.
“When they get the
ball, you see them stitch
together passes, and do the
right thing with it, so we
are working on those things
in practice, and we know
that they are capable of it,”
Teegarden said. “But if they
aren’t first to the ball, then
they can’t show what they
can do.”
Pendleton/Weston-McEw-
en excelled in that phase of
the game, and their aggres-
sive play helped the Bucka-
roos score the first seven
goals, all in the first half.
In the closing minutes of
the half, Baker junior for-
ward Sydnee Pierce dribbled
past defenders and found
the back of the net to get the
Bulldogs on the scoreboard.
Teegarden said Pierce’s
goal exemplified what the
Baker coaches are trying
to teach.
“It’s literally what we
have been working on, so
when I see it in the game
it makes me happy,” Tee-
garden said. “I was thrilled
right before the first half
and throughout the second
half to see their passes, they
were intentional rather than
booting it up the field, that’s
like a golden sign in the right
direction.”
Although Baker trailed
7-1 at halftime, head coach
Eric Layton continued to en-
courage the Bulldogs, saying
that the score didn’t reflect
the effort they were showing.
“Calling out those specific
things that they weren’t get-
ting first to the ball, and how
that can change the game,”
Teegarden said. “You can
play better than that, and
the score will reflect when
you do.”
Pendleton/Weston-McE-
wen senior forward Reilly
Lovercheck scored her fifth
goal in the second half and
the Buckaroos led 10-1.
Baker junior forward
Brooklyn Jaca scored in the
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker freshman Jillian Poe, left, battles Pendleton/
Weston-McEwen’s Miranda Medrano for the ball during
a match Tuesday, Aug. 31, at the Baker Sports Complex.
15th minute, but the match
was called at the 35th min-
ute.
Teegarden was pleased
with Baker’s improved play
in the second half.
“We literally had two
halves, back to back where
changes were made and you
saw it,” she said. “The fact
that they were able to see
and feel the difference for
those few things in the first
half and the second half,
that’s what I want them to
take with. You’re the same
team, you are more tired now,
and yet you are performing
better.”
Baker, which fell to 0-3
on the season, travels to
Ontario today, Sept. 2, to take
on the Four Rivers Falcons at
4 p.m. PDT.
Celebrate the return of ‘normal’ sports
COREY
KIRK
Traversing a unique high
school sports season during
the 2020-2021 school year,
athletes throughout Oregon
had three sports seasons
compressed into a roughly
four-month period.
Despite the challenges,
there seems to be a con-
sensus from athletes and
coaches about that opportu-
nity.
Gratitude.
Playing a condensed
season format last spring,
smiles never left the faces of
the players, coaches or the
parents who were able to
come watch. As this school
year returns in more normal
fashion, with fall sports
underway, I am excited to see
the energy reach a pinnacle
after what they’ve been
through the past two years.
This time last year, teams
were able to have noncontact
practices, their upcoming
season uncertain. The CO-
VID-19 pandemic was a part
of everyone’s day-to-day, and
skepticism was common on
how football was even going
to take place when social
distancing was necessary.
In the end, fall and winter
sports seasons were post-
poned.
In February 2021, it was
announced teams could com-
mit to a shortened season,
and energy began to skyrock-
et at practices. When I talked
to coaches, their emphasis
wasn’t on wins and losses,
but a bigger goal.
They talked about the
opportunity to bring play-
ers together, create lifelong
bonds and eventually leave
high school with a positive
experience with a game they
love.
I recognize that the goal
of, say, football is to be better
than the other team, where
game-saving tackles can
turn the momentum in any
team’s favor, and touch-
downs will bring fans to
their feet.
Whether or not the
Oregon School Activities As-
sociation decides to sanction
playoff tournament format
play, and how things will be
handled with concerns of the
delta variant, this season a
newfound perspective will
remain a constant.
While the goal is to be the
best team in your respective
division/conference, what
matters most is to enjoy
every whistle, every snap,
every play, every win and
every loss. It was taken away
from football players before,
and can very well be taken
away from them whether by
grades, injuries, or in this
case, a global pandemic.
Corey Kirk is sports editor
for the Baker City Herald.
An Evening in Paris
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5:30 p.m.
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