With Barlow girls soccer’s attacking duo, you never know what’s going to happen, said a beaming Coach Jay Jacobsen after a tough bout on a cold night.
Pretty much the only thing you can bank on is plenty of goals.
On the road facing Sandy in the penultimate match of Mt. Hood Conference play, the Bruins celebrated a pair of scores by that deadly combo of senior Katya Tercek and junior Sophia West.
“You are going to get me all emotional — they are really fun and special to watch,” Jacobsen said. “They have a great partnership up top, know how to make runs off each other, are super athletic and really fast.”
That speed was on display for West when she found her goal with just over five minutes left in the first half. On a direct ball from Tercek, she bounded between a pair of Pioneers defenders, getting to the ball and firing it low past sophomore goal keeper Hannah Winans, who had been giving the Bruins attack headaches throughout the first with some impressive diving saves.
“Kat played a beautiful ball, and I just beat the defenders and got the shot,” West said. “We talk a lot on the field, and have been playing together for years, so we have that chemistry.”
“We have a good connection,” Tercek added. “If I make a run checking in, I know she will make one behind me.”
Tercek, a captain for Barlow and reigning conference player of the year, notched the nail in the coffin late in the second. With 7:35 on the clock, senior midfielder Isabelle Unger fired the ball across the box to Tercek. She got the goal, eventually.
“I tried to hit it the first time and it didn’t work,” she said with a grin, referencing a bobbled first touch that forced her to readjust the angle. “I got it again and hit it with my left foot into the left corner.”
Those goals, plus a smothering performance by the No. 14 Barlow back line, spurred a 2-0 win over Sandy Tuesday, Oct. 22.
“In a game we didn’t play our best offensively, I’ll take that,” Coach Jacobsen said. “We worked hard, made some adjustments in the second half.”
The chances on goal were few and far between for both sides, as it was a defensive showcase for large swaths of the contest.
For Sandy (4-8-1, 1-3-1 League), the heroic moment came midway through the second half. Tercek fired a cross into West in what seemed like a sure goal. But at the last second, senior defender Olivia Fleming cleared it off the back line, leading her teammates to leap off the bench and roar in approval.
For Barlow (12-2, 4-1 League) it was a stout overall defensive performance.
“They have been solid all season long, they are a veteran group,” Coach Jacobsen said. “We didn’t allow Sandy many opportunities.”
It was senior defender Julia Aguirre who was tasked with the unenviable job of slowing Sandy’s talented attacker sophomore Alix Flowers. The Bruins like to have Aguirre shadow the opponent’s speedster, so she followed Flowers around the pitch throughout the contest.
The Pioneers best chances came late. With 4 minutes left, Flowers launched a corner kick across the box, bouncing it at the far post, but none of the Pioneers were able to get on the end of it.
“That was a golden opportunity,” said Sandy Coach Greg Pfleger.
Two minutes later was another: Sophomore Claire Parks, who had been moved up into an attacking position to try and pull one back, crossed the ball. A leaping sophomore Laila Kitchen nearly got a foot onto the volley, but it sailed just past her, securing the Bruins shutout.
“We need to keep up this effort from everyone on the team, so come playoff time we can make a deep run,” Tercek said.
“We have to want it,” added West.
Local News
Comments / 0