Centralia broke a 1-1 halftime tie with two goals in the second half to defeat Aberdeen 3-1 on the road Thursday night.
Senior Trinity Smith led the way with two goals, the first coming in the seventh minute as the Bobcats’ keeper blocked a shot before Smith cleaned it up. Aberdeen tied the game later in the first half, and the Tigers coaching staff sent a message of urgency at halftime to energize the team.
“The message again was that we must win this game to maintain our position in the league table. The girls definitely took that message,” Centralia head coach Luis Magana said.
In the 49th minute, Izabella Hernandez put Centralia in front with a shot that was low but caught the keeper out of position on the left side of the net. Smith followed it up in the 59th minute thanks to an assist by Makenna Horst, who was able to switch from the right wing to the left wing where Smith once again caught the keeper out of position and shot the ball from about 25 yards out.
“I am very proud of these two girls because they have been having breakout seasons and are tallying up the goals,” Magana said of Smith and Hernandez. “They have been patiently waiting for this moment, and I am happy it has arrived.”
Centralia (6-7, 4-3 EvCo) will host Black Hills (9-4, 3-4 EvCo) on Oct. 21 in its final home match of the regular season before visits to W.F. West on Oct. 23 and Tumwater on Oct. 28.
