It could have been a perfect night for Henley.
The Hornets (9-1-3, 4-0-3) came into their senior night game against Klamath Union (6-3-3, 3-1-3) Thursday needing a win to clinch their first league championship since 2014. Instead, they found their coronation delayed with a 0-0 draw.
Despite having beaten Klamath Union 1-0 in the teams’ first meeting Oct. 3, Henley head coach Michael Hedlund said he was happy with Thursday’s result and his team’s performance.
“Klamath Union is just as fast as us, they’re just as athletic, and some nights the shots just aren’t going to go,” Hedlund said.
Both teams struggled to create scoring chances in the first half; shots on goal were mostly limited to outside attempts that were easily saved by Henley’s Madelyn Sreniawski and Klamath Union’s Annyssa Jimenez.
Prestyn Schade nearly gave Henley the lead in the 48th minute, taking an angled shot from the right side that was barely tipped behind the goal by Jimenez. Neither team came as close to scoring after that–until the final 10 minutes.
In the 71st minute, as both sides began pushing for a late winner, Briseyda Flores had an open shot saved by Jimenez. Three minutes later, Henley earned a corner kick but was unable to generate a clean look at goal. In the 76th minute, Jolene Foster took a free kick and nearly placed the ball perfectly into the top left corner, but it fell just within reach of a leaping Sreniawski.
The Hornets earned their fourth corner kick in the final minute of the game, and Klamath Union forced an outside shot that went wide left as they became the first team this season to shut out Henley.
“The girls wanted it tonight,” Klamath Union head coach Sean Ferns said. “They pulled it out as a family…They played hard with injuries and a lot of motivation.”
Ferns said the Pelicans came into the game with three substitutes available, a number that fell to one over the course of the evening as two more players sustained injuries.
While it was a tough night for Henley offensively, the Hornets defense recorded their fifth straight shutout–their longest such streak since 2017.
“We were worried about our defense at the beginning of the season,” Hedlund said. “We lost two all-state defenders…this defense is just as good this year.”
Henley travels to Phoenix (1-9-2, 0-6-1) at 6:30 p.m. Monday needing a win or a draw to be crowned Skyline Conference champions. The Hornets beat the Pirates 6-0 in the teams’ first meeting Oct. 5.
Klamath Union travels to Hidden Valley/New Hope Christian (9-1-3, 4-1-2) at 6 p.m. Monday. The Pelicans have already secured a spot in the play-in round of the 4A state tournament but can earn a bye to the round of 16 with a win. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting Oct. 5.
“We’re going to take it to Hidden Valley,” Ferns said. “We’re going to go into them hard. The girls want it, and we’re going to get them this time.”
