Taking the Bulldogs to the Pound - By Ethan Johnston

    As the Lady Bombers come off a big win against Chiawana in penalty kicks (PKs), they’re looking at a game that will play their nonstarters with Hermiston. The Bombers would go on to win in shutout fashion, 2-0.

    As the game starts, Hermiston seems to be bringing their A-game. But shortly after, they learned it would take more to beat the Lady Bombers. Senior Kelsey Fulton begins with the kick-off, and the Bombers were quick to get to an offensive position. The Bombers are fast with their first shots at the goal. Their offensive advantage over the Hermiston Bulldogs gives RHS the head start they were looking for. As Bella Bunnage comes up the sideline for the first assist in a goal, she kicks it to the middle for an amazing placement for Niyah Gallegos, a sophomore for the Bombers. As the game progresses, the Bombers keep a good game rolling as they play more offense than defense. They’re testing the Bulldog’s defense, but the Bulldog’s defense stepped up and kept them from a goal for now.

The Bombers are happy they came out with the win.

    As the Bombers are going into this game with a solid starting lineup, they also have players out with injuries. One of those players is Lucy Howard, a starting player for the Bombers. Lucy stated, ¨ It’s brutal. It definitely makes soccer so much more depressing to watch, but it also makes me take a higher leadership role to help players off the field just as much as I did on the field.¨ Even when injured, Lucy Howard still has a positive mindset to help out her teammates. This goes to show the Lady Bomber’s strength and their well-bonded team. Lucy also touched on their excellent team communication. Lucy said, ¨Our communications are pretty strong, especially off the field. We connect pretty well, and we see what we need to fix for the next game, and we know how to get through to each other.¨ The Lady Bomber’s communication is a big key to their success on and off the field. They use it at practice to improve their chemistry and in-game to help them win their game. 

Tiffany Turner with the corner kick.

    Even as the Bombers have hurt players, they have girls coming off injuries. One of those players is Bella Bunnage, a junior starter for the Bombers. This was her third game back after the injury, which occurred against the Southridge Suns on September 22nd. Bella’s first game back was last Tuesday. Bella said her first game back was easier than she thought it would be, even though she didn’t get as much playtime. Even though she didn’t get a full game, she still enjoyed her first game back. Hermiston was her first game with substantial playing since the injury. Bella would make a perfect assist for a goal in the second half of the game. She was on the outside and kicked it into the middle, right in front of the goal, to Kelsey Fulton, where she kicked it in for the game’s second goal. 

    The Bomber’s defense was on top of their game against Hermiston. Savannah Crithfeild, a senior starter for the defense, had great communication throughout the night. She was on top of reading the field, seeing all the possibilities that could happen, and communicating that to her teammates. As the game progressed, you could also see the communication coming from the coaches, especially from head coach Justin Almquist. He was constantly calling out shifts and directions to his players, letting them know what to look for and how they adjust throughout the game. Justin is a true example of what RHS wants to see from its coaches. He’s always on top of helping the players to be a better team and leading them to victory. The Bomber’s defense did little work compared to the Hermiston. The Bomber’s offense was powerful, fighting to keep the ball away from the Bulldog’s defense. As the game progressed, you could see how the players were getting tired and making more mistakes. As the two teams got into the second half of the game, the HHS energy level dropped, and mistakes were made, along with more fouls being called. As the Bombers continue to test the Bulldog’s defense, putting constant pressure. Goals could happen at any second, but no more were successful. Even as the games are over and the Bombers come out with a win 2-0, you can still see that the Bulldogs have a good attitude and know they played a true MCC force.

    Richland stays atop of the MCC rankings at 11-1, and Hermiston would move down to second to last in the league at 2-9 (not counting the forfeited season by Kennewick High due to a player shortage). Their next matchup will be Southridge on Tuesday, the 18th.