Stay healthy.
That’s all Horst Malunat is wanting, hoping and praying to whatever higher powers may be. The Toledo High School’s girls soccer team had 12 girls suited up on Thursday night and in stoppage time, they were down to 10.
Onica Chase was given a yellow card in the 80th minute and Zaya Norberg was already out of the game while battling an ailment.
“We showed (up) well,” Malunat said. “It is not the quantity, it is the quality.”
Thanks to Ivana Cabrera’s late heroics in net, the Riverhawks walked out of Tiger Stadium with a 0-0 draw against Centralia in a non-league tussle.
It’s been a mixed bag of results for Toledo (2-1-1). It upended Evergreen Vancouver and a 2B power in Freeman before only 10 girls were available in a 2-0 loss to Black Hills on Tuesday. Eighth grader Kate Layton was the only non-starter that got playing time Thursday.
Still, Malunat couldn’t have been prouder of how his squad played. He credited assistant coach Shannon Macy in getting the varsity girls with enough recovery time the following day.
“I am happy,” he said.
While depth is a red flag, the Riverhawks do boast an experienced roster paced by C2BL Co-MVP Onica Chase, Offensive MVP Xtyn Norberg, Defensive MVP Kailea Lairson and two other first team all-league honorees.
Cabrera has been the wall this fall, particularly in the second half where she’s allowed just one goal in the final 40 minutes of matches. She stopped a free kick off the foot of Enedina Silva in the 62nd minute.
Two minutes later, Silva’s shot from 25-yards out deflected off a Toledo defender and went right to Eva Reinitz’s head and Cabrera was in the right place at the right time.
Then when Toledo was down a player, Centralia’s Ty Leal-Minor got behind the Riverhawks defense, but Cabrera came away with her third save of the second half.
“She had to come up with five big adjustments,” Malunat said. “She read everything correctly. That last 10-12 minutes she had to work really hard to keep us level.”
The Tigers (2-2-1) had four corner kicks and a handful of threatening chances on the night and were kept off the scoreboard for the first time this season.
“I felt like we started pretty strong,” Centralia head coach Luis Magana said. “We play well and have our opportunities, but we don’t take advantage of them.”
The first half was dominated by Toledo through the midfield, controlling possession and tempo. It is the strength of its roster with Chase, Holter and Lairson. Five of the Riverhawks’ seven shots in the first half were on frame.
Lairson had the best look of the evening from just inside the 18-yard box and it was saved by Tigers keeper Mya Olson in the 56th minute.
“I was trying to get them (to make) that second pass where we’re shooting off a pass instead of a dribble,” Malunat said. “We sometimes play a little too direct. Let’s set things up.”
Centralia matched up well defensively and Magana was fine with a scoreless first half. Cyndal Sills and Jayden Krogness, a pair of senior centerbacks and captains, kept the Toledo attack in front of them.
“They played well and cleaned a lot of things up,” Magana said.
One final non-league match for the Tigers takes place on Saturday when they battle Elma. Then EvCo play begins next Thursday versus Shelton. They are one of four teams in the league with multiple wins so far.
Magana feels it is wide open for a top-two finish.
“It is anyone’s league,” he said.
Toledo still has non-league contests versus Aberdeen, Battle Ground, Crosspoint Christian and Rochester before the C2BL opener against Adna next month. The Riverhawks believe they are still firmly in the mix for a deep run, so long as health is on their side.
“When everybody is here and healthy, we’re really dangerous,” Malunat said. “I can’t predict the future, but if I could, once we get to league we should be right at the top.”
