TUMWATER — Recently, Black Hills has had its fair share of close losses.
In their first matchup against Centralia on Oct. 3, the Wolves lost in penalty kicks, and one week later, they lost in overtime at Aberdeen.
At home on Tuesday against Centralia, the Wolves and Tigers seemed destined for extra time for the second time.
Marlie Voorhies delivered the game’s first goal in the 69th minute, however, a goal that would stand as the game-winning score in Black Hills’ 1-0 win over Centralia.
“It was nice not to have to go to extra time,” Black Hills coach Ty Johnson said with a laugh. “This league, it’s not easy … It’s a battle every night.”
While the game was scoreless to that point, there was no shortage of scoring chances prior to that point.
Both keepers were excellent though, as Centralia’s Braylee Blankenship had nine saves and Black Hills’ Angela Gibbs had 10.
There was little that Blankenship could have done on the goal, as Voorhies placed it perfectly in the upper third.
“We knew it had to be a good shot to go in,” Johnson said. “Marlie came in and just hit a great shot … She can hit a ball, I can tell you.”
Gibbs’ biggest saves of the game came in the minutes after the goal, when Centralia was frantically pushing the ball upfield in hopes of getting an equalizer.
Centralia coach Luis Magana had switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 formation at halftime, but in the final moments, he reverted back to the original formation to try and create pressure.
The adjustments paid dividends, as the Tigers rattled off several shots early in the half, and they also had multiple chances late. Centralia’s best chance in the final moments was a curler from Olivia Gruginski, but Gibbs was able to make a leaping save to preserve the lead.
“It was the best game I’ve seen her play,” Johnson said. “She’s really improved every game, and the team has confidence in her going forward.”
Gibbs’ second-best save of the night came when the game was still scoreless, when she pressured Centralia’s Izabella Hernandez on a ball trickling towards the net. The shot sailed high and out of play.
“It’s funny how soccer is,” Magana said. “If you don’t make your chances, the other team will.”
Magana, a Black Hills alum, has now lost all three games at Black Hills that he has coached since joining the Centralia coaching staff.
“I guess it’s the curse of the alumni,” Magana joked.
The outcome changes the playoff outlook for both sides.
Centralia was just one point back of W.F. West for the second spot, the only difference being the penalty kick win over Black Hills earlier in the season. In the EvCo, the winning team in PKs gets two points in the standings, while the losing team gets one. A win gets the usual three points.
With the loss and W.F. West’s win on Tuesday, the Tigers are now four points back of second. This season, the District 4 Tournament features two pigtail games, meaning just the top two teams in the EvCo avoid a pigtail.
“It puts us in a very difficult spot,” Magana said. “Now we just want to secure that third place spot and host that pigtail game.”
Black Hills, on the other hand, is now in firm control of the EvCo’s fourth and final playoff spot, as it now leads Aberdeen by four points after the Bobcats lost on Tuesday.
“Now we control our own destiny,” Johnson said. “We don’t have to rely on anybody else but ourselves to take care of business.”
Black Hills (4-7-1, 3-5 2A EvCo) will look to continue to roll on Thursday at Tumwater, while Centralia (6-5-3, 5-3 2A EvCo) will look to bounce back when it hosts the Chronicle Cup against W.F. West on Thursday.
