Elma beat Hoquiam while Aberdeen lost on penalty kicks as we review Friday’s prep games on the Harbor.

BOYS PREP SOCCER

Elma 3, Hoquiam 0

Elma dealt handled the challenges presented by an improved Hoquiam Grizzlies team playing with a home-field advantage in a 3-0 win on Friday at the Sea Breeze Oval in Hoquiam.

Elma (4-1 overall, 4-0 1A Evergreen) had trouble sustaining possession and control on the narrow, slow grass field, so the Eagles played long ball.

“It was the through balls,” Elma senior midfielder and co-captain Jose Perez said. “It was something we saw during the game. Since we are used to playing at our home field and it’s wider than this field, it kind of made us play through balls.”

The strategy paid off when Perez was fouled on a play inside the Hoquiam 18-yard box, creating a penalty-kick chance that was converted by senior midfielder/forward Amador Ramirez for a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.

Elma would double its lead just after halftime when senior forward Cason Seaberg found himself with space down the left wing, pivoted and shot a ball that went off Hoquiam sophomore goal keeper Burton Chavis and into the net in the 45th minute.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam’s JB Fabial, left, and Elma’s Cason Seaberg chase after the ball during Elma’s 3-0 win on Friday in Hoquiam.

With Elma continuing to apply pressure by playing through balls and long over the top, the Eagles got the all-important three-goal lead when Seaberg scored off a Hank Doelman throw-in in the 64th minute.

“The earlier in the year you play here, you know it’s going to be tough,” Elma head coach Carson Seaberg said. “There’s things going against you. It’s sloppy, there are some holes, it’s rough but it is what it is. … It’s a narrow field so that kind of gets you out of your shape as well. … There are some tough times because that ball doesn’t do what you expect it to do. It makes for a difficult outing.

“It was a gritty game. (Hoquiam) played hard. … The ability to move the ball was a little more hindered for us, but we’re happy with the win.”

With the victory, Elma remains unbeaten in league play, a half-game ahead of idle Montesano for the top spot in the 1A Evergreen League.

“(The win) means a lot,” Perez said. “It’s my last time I’m going to play here because it’s my senior year.”

“I’m seeing improvement as in I’m seeing consistency,” Hoquiam head coach Corri Schmid said. “I think our time is coming. Per our stats, in every game we’ve played we’ve maintained possession a majority of the time, we just haven’t been able to finish and that remains a struggle. Hopefully, our lucky streak comes and we get that ball into the goal.”

Schmid commended the play Chavis, who played the goal keeper position for the first time on Friday.

“Kudos for him,” she said. “I think it takes a lot of courage to jump into a position you’ve never played, especially goalie, and I think he did extremely well.”

Hoquiam (1-6, 1-4) plays at Ilwaco at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Elma hosts Forks at 7 p.m. on Monday.

Elma 1 2 – 3

Hoquiam 0 0 – 0

Scoring

First half – 1, Elma, A. Ramirez, 20th minute.

Second half – 2, Elma, Seaberg, 45th minute. 3, Elma, Seaberg, 64th minute.

Tumwater 3, Aberdeen 2

(Tumwater wins 4-3 on penalty kicks)

Missed opportunities spoiled a valiant comeback bid in Aberdeen’s 3-2 loss – 4-3 on penalty kicks – to Tumwater on Friday in Tumwater.

Aberdeen (2-4, 1-3 2A Evergreen) and Tumwater (4-2-1, 4-1) played even through the first 20 minutes of the game until a Thunderbirds goal on a breakaway put the Bobcats in a 1-0 hole 20 minutes into the game.

Tumwater doubled its lead with a goal in the 33rd minute.

The Bobcats responded when forward Elmer Torres flicked a shot into the net off an assist from junior midfielder Leo Garcia in the 36th minute, making it a 2-1 game at halftime.

Aberdeen dominated play in the second half, spending much of the time in the T-Birds defensive end.

The game-tying goal eluded Aberdeen until the final minute when senior defender Chris Garcia scored on a shot after a scramble in front of the Tumwater net, knotting the game up at 2-2 with 30 seconds to play.

Aberdeen continued to control the pace of play and had what head coach Larry Fleming said were “a couple of great looks” at the T-Birds net, but failed to secure the golden-goal victory as the game went to a penalty-kick shootout.

Aberdeen’s Evan Cone, Torres and Leo Garcia converted penalty kicks while Cats keeper Evan Sanchez saved a penalty shot and had another miss the goal, giving the Bobcats chances to win the game.

But Aberdeen failed again to take advantage of those opportunities and lost 4-3 on penalty kicks.

“Unlike Wednesday (1-0 loss to Rochester), we played well in almost every aspect of the game. Just like Wednesday, we missed too many goal-scoring opportunities,” Fleming said. “But great effort by our boys coming from two goals down and dominating the rest of the way. If a couple of these chances go our way these past two weeks, then we are sitting at 4-0 instead of 1-3 in league.”

Aberdeen’s JV team remained unbeaten with a 4-1 win on Friday.

Ricky Granados (2 goals), Edgar Ceja and Ethan Parris scored for the Bobcats.

Aberdeen’s C-team tied with Montesano’s C-team 1-1 on Friday at the Bishop Sports Complex in Aberdeen.

The Bobcats host Shelton at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Aberdeen 1 1 0 0 0 – 2

Tumwater 2 0 0 0 1 – 3

(Tumwater wins 4-3 on penalty kicks)

Scoring

First half – 1, Tumwater, 20th minute. 2, Tumwater, 33rd minute. 3, Aberdeen, E. Torres (L. Garcia), 36th minute.

Second half – 3, Aberdeen, C. Garcia, 79th minute

Overtime – none.

Penalty kicks: Tumwater 4. Aberdeen 3 (Cone, E. Torres, L. Garcia).

PREP SOFTBALL

Aberdeen 8, Rochester 6

Aberdeen broke a tie with a big seventh inning and held on for an 8-6 win over Rochester on Friday in Rochester.

The Bobcats (6-0, 2-0 1A Evergreen) remained unbeaten on the season by breaking a 4-4 tie with four runs in the seventh inning, with Britten Neal driving in Scotlyn Lecomte with a single to take a 5-4 lead.

Zoe Vessey drove in Rylee Hendrickson and Neal with a one-out double to put the Bobcats up 7-4 and was followed by Vessey racing home on a passed ball for an 8-4 lead.

Rochester (2-3, 0-1) threatened in the bottom of the seventh with three straight singles to lead off the inning and cutting into Aberdeen’s lead at 8-5.

A sacrifice fly by Layna Demers made it an 8-6 ball game with two outs and the tying run coming to the plate in the form of Leah Hartley.

But Aberdeen pitcher Annika Hollingsworth got Hartley to ground out to Neal at third, completing Aberdeen’s 8-6 league victory.

Hollingsworth struck out 10 and allowed three earned runs in seven innings to pick up the win.

The Aberdeen senior right-hander also had a big day at the plate, leading the Cats with a 4-f0r-4 performance a double, a run scored and a home run to lead off the top of the third inning.

Aberdeen faces Jackson and Adna at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday at Auburn Riverside High School.

Aberdeen 022 000 4 — 8 12 2

Rochester 100 012 2 — 6 6 3

WP: Hollingsworth (7 IP, 6R, 3ER, 6H, 10K, 4BB). LP: Demers (7 IP, 8R, 2ER, 11H, 12K, 5BB). Leading hitters: Aberdeen – Hollingsworth (4-4, HR, 2B, R, RBI); Lecomte (2-2, 2R); Vessey (1-5, 2B, R, 2RBI); L. Yakovich (1-4); Camp (1-4, R); Neal (1-4, 2R, RBI); Patrick (1-2, RBI); Hendrickson (1-2, R). Rochester – Haury (3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI); Vassar (1-4, RBI); Hartley (1-4, R).

Other games

Prep Baseball

Raymond-South Bend 25, Wishkah Valley 3