Hawks come close to earning state bid

The HC girls soccer team scores league playoff win over Santiam Christian

By Dan Brood

The Times, Oct 30, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

DAN BROOD / The Times

PLAYOFF STAR — Horizon Christian junior forward Candice Russell (left) scored the Hawks’ second goal in the 2-0 playoff victory over Santiam Christian.

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TUALATIN — For the young Horizon Christian High School girls soccer team, it was a season of goals scored and goals achieved.

The Hawks, who set a goal to reach the District 4 league playoffs this season, did that and more. Horizon Christian, in its third season, not only reached the league playoffs, but the Hawks won a league playoff contest and then came oh-so-close to earning a Class 4A/3A/2A/1A state playoff bid.

“This has been incredible,” Horizon Christian freshman Maggie Bachhuber said following the Hawks’ 2-0 win over Santiam Christian in a league playoff match played last Thursday at Horizon Christian High School. “We’ve just kept pushing on.”

“We’re playing for God,” senior defender Lisa Stewart said after the win over Santiam Christian. “And we have the desire.”

Horizon Christian, following the win over Santiam Christian, fell 2-1 in overtime at Western Mennonite in a league playoff match on Saturday with a state playoff berth on the line.

The playoff split gives the Hawks a final overall record of 8-5-1, giving the team more wins this season than it had in its first two years combined.

“This season has been incredible,” Horizon Christian coach Cory Hand said after the win over Santiam Christian. “We reached our goals, now we have to reset them.”

In Thursday’s league playoff match, the Hawks and Santiam Christian played to a scoreless tie in the first half of play. But Horizon Christian broke through to take the lead 15 minutes into the second half.

Freshman Lizzie Ng started the scoring play with a free kick from 35 yards out. Bachhuber, running in, got to the ball off the free kick and, from about six yards away, she knocked it into the net to give the Hawks the lead.

Then, with 11 minutes and 15 seconds left in the match, Horizon Christian upped the margin to 2-0. Ng again ignited the scoring play with a corner kick coming from the right side. Hawk junior Chardae Dover got to the ball and touched it to junior forward Candice Russell, who knocked it into the goal from close range for the team’s second goal of the contest.

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