A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Bulldogs rout Fruitland, 7-1
By COREY KIRK
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
The Baker boys soccer team,
playing for the fi rst time in 17 days,
earned its fi rst win of the season,
routing Fruitland 7-1 on Tuesday,
Sept. 14 in front of a home crowd at
the Baker Sports Complex.
“It was nice, defi nitely a good
confi dence booster beating a team
like that,” junior co-captain Diego
Quintela said. “But also (we) just
can’t let it get to us. After every
goal it’s 0-0 again.”
With such a long interval since
a 2-1 loss to McCall on Aug. 28,
Baker, which improved its record
to 1-2, has spent a lot of time on the
practice fi eld.
Coach Victor Benites said a top
focus for the Bulldogs has been
their conditioning.
“We did a lot of running,”
Benites said. “We ran a mile every
day no matter what, and at the
end we did sprints at the end of
the practice. That seems to help
the team stay fi t and go back
and forth.”
Tuesday against the Grizzlies
from Idaho, Baker started hot from
the opening, with senior Gus Ter-
teling scoring just four minutes in.
Midway through the fi rst half,
the Bulldogs added to their lead
with goals from sophomore Riley
Martin at 20 minutes, and from
Quintela just two minutes later.
Near the end of the fi rst half,
freshman Alan Bedolla found the
net to give Baker a 4-0 lead.
“I feel good, happy,” Benites
said. “That’s what I wanted. I
wanted them to go out and feel
how to win games. I told them that
if you are on the fi eld, you want
the ball. Any chance you take on
the ball, one touch and you shoot it,
goals will come to you.”
Despite Baker’s sizable lead at
halftime, Benites wanted to be sure
the Bulldogs’ midfi elders were in
the right places on the fi eld in the
second half.
“As soon as we lose the ball
or they take a shot and we come
back, it’s a lot better for a player
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Junior defenseman Anthony Betts, right, dribbles down the
line to take control of the ball early in the fi rst half of Baker’s
7-1 win over Fruitland, Idaho, on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at the Baker
Sports Complex.
to run forwards then backwards,”
Benites said. “When you come
back, you always want to start
midfi eld and up again. You’ll be
able to play against any team that
way.”
The Bulldogs kept their focus
in the second half, as Quintela
notched two more goals, the fi rst
two minutes in and the second at
23 minutes.
Freshman Aldo Duran also
scored to boost Baker’s lead to 7-0.
Although Quintela was happy
to complete the hat trick with his
third goal, he said he was more
excited to assist teammates.
“I don’t care about my personal
goals, I care about my assists if I
can get them, or when my team-
mates score, which I was trying to
get them to do,” Quintela said. “It’s
a good feeling seeing them score.”
Wearing the yellow armband
with the title “captain” comes with
a responsibility that Quintela and
fellow co-captain Wyatt Hawkins
don’t take lightly.
As Benites substituted some
younger players toward the end of
the match, the captains yelled their
support for their teammates.
That pleased Benites.
“If you have a captain like him
(Quintela), not be selfi sh, he had
an open shot there and he wanted
to pass it to the freshman kid,”
Benites said.
Fruitland prevented the shutout
with a goal with about six minutes
remaining.
After the strong performance,
Benites is confi dent his team can
compete with any of their future
opponents.
“This is probably going to
improve their confi dence,” he said.
“If we keep playing the way we are
now, we can stay with any team, no
problem at all.”
Baker will travel to Pendleton
on Monday, Sept. 20 to take on the
Buckaroos at 4:30 p.m.
Baker’s girls soccer team, after
winning its previous two games,
fell 12-1 at Fruitland on Tuesday,
Sept. 14. Brooklyn Jaca scored
Baker’s goal.
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Senior midfi elder/forward and co-captain Wyatt Hawkins attempts to
steal the ball from a Fruitland Grizzlies player early in the fi rst half on
Tuesday, Sept. 14, at the Baker Sports Complex.
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