After the Tigard girls soccer team’s first loss this season, Head Coach Scott Eggleston wasn’t down about his team’s performance.
In fact, he was proud of how they hung around with Lake Oswego, the No. 5-ranked team in League 6A.
“This gave our players an opportunity to see a playoff-type of atmosphere with the intensity of a high-ranked game,” Eggleston said. “It was a battle. I felt like at any moment we were going to score in that second half, so I feel good.”
The 1-0 loss at Lake Oswego came on Oct. 12. Lake Oswego was in control the entire first half, holding onto the ball for most of the half and keeping it in Tigard’s (10-1-3) territory.
After a few attempts, Lake Oswego (8-4-1) finally netted a goal with 14:47 remaining in the half. The Lakers also had two other goals in the first half called off for penalties, one for offsides and the other for a handball.
Tigard’s best scoring opportunity in the first half came on a shot by Claire Masters, one of the team’s leading scorers this season, who had a shot miss just wide of the goal.
The game flipped in the second half, as Tigard dominated possession of the ball and spent much of the half in Lake Oswego’s territory. Eggleston said one thing that helped change Tigard’s performance around was getting some fresh legs in the game off the bench.
“We decided that we were ready to press and try to keep the ball in their half the whole time,” he said. “That requires a whole team organization in making sure we’re connected. That was really the difference in the second half.”
Along with the players from the bench, Eggleston said the team got big performances from defender Kiera Grant and goalies Maya Hawks and Kylee Sekiguchi, who each played a half, that helped them keep pace with one of the top teams in Three Rivers League.
“We knew Three Rivers was still one of the toughest leagues in the state,” he said. “West Linn, Lake Oswego, Tigard. I figured that was going to be the push and you see it. It is the push.”
All three teams are ranked in the top eight in League 6A heading into the final week of the regular season, with Lake Oswego at five, Tigard at six, and West Linn at eight. Last year, West Linn lost in the state title game to Jesuit and Lake Oswego lost in the semifinals to West Linn. Tigard lost in the second round of the playoffs to Tualatin.
Earlier this year, Tigard beat Tualatin, 5-0, and tied West Linn 2-2. Even with the loss to Lake Oswego, Eggleston likes how his team is playing as the playoffs near.
“Not every loss is a bad thing,” Eggleston said. “Some losses can turn into a good thing, and this might just be what we need to give us that extra push to finish out the Three Rivers League strong.”
Tigard is doing exactly that since the loss to Lake Oswego. The Tigers followed up the loss with a 2-0 win against Oregon City and a 2-1 win at Lakeridge. Tigard’s final game of the regular season was against St. Mary’s Academy and was scheduled to take place after our publication date.
The playoffs are scheduled to start on Oct. 28.
Tigard High Scoreboard
Football:
Sept. 21 Tigard – 21, Liberty – 14
Sept. 29 Tigard – 24, Oregon City – 28
Oct. 5 Tigard – 9, Lakeridge – 30
Oct. 12 Tigard – 14, West Linn – 53
Oct. 20 Tigard – , Lake Oswego
Volleyball:
Sept. 23 Tigard – 0, North Salem – 2
Sept. 26 Tigard – 3, Lakeridge – 1
Sept. 28 Tigard – 0, West Linn – 3
Oct. 2 Tigard – 3, Lake Oswego – 2
Oct. 10 Tigard – 0, Oregon City – 3
Oct. 12 Tigard – 0, St. Mary’s Academy – 3
Oct. 17 Tigard – 3, Tualatin – 1
Oct. 19 Tigard – 3, Lakeridge – 0
Boys Soccer:
Sept. 26 Tigard – 0, Gresham – 1
Sept. 28 Tigard – 1, Central Catholic – 5
Oct. 2 Tigard – 0, Tualatin – 0
Oct. 10 Tigard – 1, West Linn – 6
Oct. 12 Tigard – 1, Lake Oswego – 2
Oct. 17 Tigard – 1, Oregon City – 3
Oct. 19 Tigard – 0, Lakeridge – 8
Girls Soccer:
Sept. 26 Tigard – 2, Ida B. Wells – 0
Sept. 28 Tigard – 2, Central Catholic – 2
Oct. 2 Tigard – 5, Tualatin – 0
Oct. 5 Tigard – 0, Camas – 0
Oct. 10 Tigard – 2, West Linn – 2
Oct. 12 Tigard – 0, Lake Oswego – 1
Oct. 17 Tigard –2, Oregon City – 0
Oct. 19 Tigard – 2, Lakeridge – 1
Boys Water Polo:
Sept. 25 Tigard – 10, Tualatin – 18
Sept. 27 Tigard – 3, Lakeridge – 18
Sept. 28 Tigard – 6, Hillsboro – 16
Oct. 2 Tigard – 6, Newberg – 15
Oct. 3 Tigard – 10, Hillsboro – 12
Oct. 4 Tigard – 21, Forest Grove – 6
Oct. 9 Tigard – 3, Lake Oswego – 18
Oct. 11 Tigard – 7, Tualatin – 23
Oct. 16 Tigard – 2, Lakeridge – 20
Oct. 18 Tigard – 3, Newberg – 16
Girls Water Polo
Sept. 27 Tigard – 2, Lakeridge – 12
Sept. 28 Tigard – 20, Hillsboro – 5
Oct. 2 Tigard – 2, Newberg – 14
Oct. 3 Tigard – 12, Hillsboro – 9
Oct. 4 Tigard – 3, Forest Grove – 18
Oct. 9 Tigard – 2, Lake Oswego – 15
Oct. 11 Tigard – 0, Tualatin – 18
Oct. 16 Tigard – 1, Lakeridge – 14
Oct. 18 Tigard – 4, Newberg – 19
