An own goal in each half spelled defeat for Henley (2-1-1) on a rainy night in Klamath Falls Tuesday.
Caldera (2-2-1), which made the 5A playoffs last season, was able to deflect a long free kick off a Hornets player in both instances. The Wolfpack went up 1-0 in the 12th minute and 2-0 in the 66th minute before junior Layne Worrell put Henley on the board with a penalty kick in the 73rd minute. Despite creating some chances in the closing minutes, the Hornets couldn’t find an equalizer and suffered their first loss of the season.
“It’s so hard to overcome two own goals, especially against a team like this,” Henley head coach Lupe Gonzales said. “I thought we did some really good things. We knew what kind of team this was.
“I think it’s going to help us prepare for the conference [games] coming up.”
Caldera controlled possession for much of the first half, but Henley made things more even in the second. The Wolfpack finished with three corner kicks to the Hornets’ two.
The game featured some excellent goalkeeping, with Caldera’s Bentley Malacon-Deal and Henley’s Ivan Garcia–both sophomores–making multiple difficult saves.
Henley faces its second straight 5A opponent when it travels to Eagle Point (1-2-1) at 7 p.m. Sept. 23. Caldera begins Intermountain Conference play at Summit (2-2-1) at 6 p.m. Sept. 25.
Other games
Caldera 3, Henley 0 (Girls)
Henley (2-2-0) recorded six shots as Caldera (4-1-0) extended its shutout streak to three consecutive games.
The Wolfpack, who made the 5A semifinals last year and are currently ranked No. 3 in the classification by the OSAA, scored twice in the first half (including an own goal by the Hornets) en route to a win on their home field.
“Considering the quality of the opponent, it was a good result and should give us confidence that we can compete with the best teams,” Henley head coach Mike Hedlund said.
Henley faces a 5A opponent for the second game in a row when it hosts Eagle Point (0-2-0) at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23. Caldera hosts Summit (1-2-2) at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 to open its Intermountain Conference slate.
Lost River/Bonanza 3, Rogue River 1 (Girls)
Despite what head coach Richard DeJong called “a horrible first half,” Lost River/Bonanza (2-0-1, 2-0-1) came away with a convincing home win over Rogue River (1-3-0, 1-2-0).
Senior Zuli Cobian put the Raiders up 1-0 in the 10th minute before departing the game to join the Lost River volleyball team for a match at Henley. The Chieftains converted a penalty kick in the 25th minute, and the teams went into halftime tied 1-1.
Lost River/Bonanza pulled away with a 10-minute double about midway through the second half, with junior Briza Garcia scoring in the 55th minute and sophomore Amaris Hernandez scoring in the 65th minute.
“In the second half, we played more of our game,” DeJong said. “[We] made a few changes, played more organized, [had] better communication, and finally took some long shots. Those paid off.”
Junior Emma DeJong had two assists for the Raiders, and senior Melanie Martinez had one. Junior Karla Navarro made four saves in goal.
Both teams play at 4 p.m. Thursday; Lost River/Bonanza travels to St. Mary’s Medford (4-0-0, 2-0-0)–which has outscored opponents 27-0 this season and is ranked No. 5 in the 3A/2A/1A classification–while Rogue River hosts North Valley (1-2-1, 0-1-1).