.jpg)
Centralia was unable to overcome Aberdeen, losing 3-1 at home on Monday in its final non-league match.
The Tigers were playing with their full varsity roster for the first time this season, and it took 40 minutes, the entire first half, for them to figure things out and start gelling, Centralia coach Henry Gallanger said.
“The intensity level significantly improved in the second half,” Gallanger said. “We had a halftime talk and it changed. If we’d played both halves like that it would have been a different game.”
Aberdeen scored three goals in the first half (sixth and 21st minutes) and one in the 54th minute before Centralia junior midfielder Jaime Figueroa scored the Tigers’ lone goal on a free kick in the 76th minute. Gallanger praised Figueroa and Yael Martinez for their performances on the night.
It was another learning experience for a young, inexperienced Tigers’ team still searching for its first win. The Tigers return just three varsity players from what would have been the 2020 season that was canceled last year.
“When you lose that many, you’re taking guys who haven’t played varsity and thrusting them into the field,” Gallanger said. “They’ve still got a ways to go. We see little snapshots of what we’re capable of. We’re looking for consistency across the board.”
Centralia (0-3) hosts rival W.F. West at 7 p.m. on Friday in the opening of league play.
