Bombers Crush Crosstown Rivals - By Josh Woodard
On Tuesday Night the Lady Bombers took on the Hanford Falcons in a one-sided soccer match. The Bombers are coming off an extraordinary win on Saturday against the Kamiakin Braves, while the Hanford Falcons dominated in their first win of the season against the Hermiston Bulldogs winning four to one. In last year’s contests, Richland defeated Hanford in both games by a combined score of 6-1.
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| Brandon Bunnage Photo |
Richlands soccer team came out the gate firing with three shots on goal in the first four minutes of the game. Of these three shots, one was a Mackenzie Thonney goal off the rebound from a Hanford defender. The Lady Bombers continued to dominate with the ball rarely crossing into Bomber territory. In the thirty-first minute sophomore Kylee Kukes who was the top goal scorer last year finds the net on an assist from Bella Bunnage. Hanford's defense was struggling to keep up with the Bombers, a big reason being the Falcons lost two key senior defenders who graduated last spring. Losing these key players did not stop the Falcons from taking pride in their school and team. The Falcons were extremely loud and uplifting towards one another but this didn't stop the Lady Bombers from their scoring streak.
In the twentieth minute of the game, Senior Bella Bunnage flies past three Hanford defenders and slots the ball in the back of the net for the team's third goal of the night. The first half was full of action with multiple crosses made by Kukes and Payton Anderson. After a few more chances to score the Bombers did not manage to scrape another goal by the time the whistle blew for halftime. I got a chance to speak with Head Coach Justin Almquist, coach of the year two seasons in a row in the MCC. I asked Almquist how excited he was about the Bomber team after winning back-to-back games. Coach's response was “we are a work in progress” and gave credit to Hanford's ability to keep the Bombers on their toes. During the Kamiakin versus Richland game senior captain, Tiffany Turner got ejected with a red card and was ineligible to play in tonight's match, I asked Coach Almquist how he felt that Turner's ejection would affect tonight's game and he replied by saying “ it gives her a chance to have perspective and it's an opportunity for other people to step up” He also mentioned how Turner can help the team in many other ways while not being able to compete.
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| Brandon Bunnage Photo |
A player that stuck out to me who doesn't get enough credit for the hard work she does is the senior goalie Alyssa Marsh. Marsh who has been a three-year starter for the Lady Bombers has made an immense impact on the program and many games since she has been the Richland goalie. When I was speaking with Marsh I talked to her about stepping into the role of being a caption and she said “ Being a caption is a different role for me, because usually I’m on the quiet side.” Marsh then talked about how she felt honored that her team picked her to be captain. Marsh is an outstanding track athlete as well, which led me to ask her if track helps her on the soccer field. Marsh replied by saying “ Track definitely helps in soccer, especially when there’s a ball that I need to charge at.” Richland's goalie then stated that her speed catches forwards off guard.
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| Brandon Bunnage Photo |
In the second half, Hanford showed little signs of life coming out of the break with a couple shots on goal, which were their only shots of the contest. Richland's offense seemed goal hungry but Hanford's defense looked stronger coming out of the break making some halftime adjustments. One of their key defenders senior captain Mia Valcarcel who usually plays center forward made the switch to center back. The game remained three to zero the entire second half until the game hit stoppage time when junior Payton Anderson shot into a Hanford defender and found the back of the net making it 4-0. Anderson has been a huge pickup this year for the soccer team. Anderson has scored three goals in two games. I asked Anderson how she felt about this year's team, and she answered “ I feel like this year is going to be good as long as we work for it.” The game ended with the Anderson goal and Richland went on to win 4-0 against the Falcons. The Bombers are now 2-0 in the league and will host the Pasco Bulldogs on Thursday night. GO BOMBERS!!
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| Brandon Bunnage Photo |
