Tigard High School’s very own boys soccer team faced off against Liberty High School in a home match on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Right out of the gate, Tigard dominated in possession, with constant pressure and keeping the ball in their control more often than not. Just five minutes into the game, senior Sean McManamon scored a ripper of a shot to the far post, tucking the ball well past Liberty’s goalkeeper.
Immediately following Tigard’s goal, it was apparent that Liberty’s morale had been shaken. It wasn’t until 20 minutes later that Liberty took their first shot, which sailed harmlessly wide of the goal. They quickly came back with a second attempt however, with an open shot just a few yards in front of Tigard’s goal. The Liberty striker pulled back for a point blank shot, what should have been a sure goal… and blasted the ball almost straight up into the air, missing the goal entirely.
In retaliation, Tigard had an attempt of their own. A clever pass from sophomore Sinan Raja to McManamon gave an opening for yet another shot on goal, but the goalkeeper was there to stop it. With no shots from either side, and both teams heatedly battling for possession of the ball in the midfield, the first half ended shortly thereafter.
13 minutes after half time, Liberty was able to score an equalizing goal of their own, landing the score at an even 1 – 1. With a little over 30 minutes left in the game, both sides desperately attempted to score the winning goal, but were mostly unable to get any shots off. Liberty’s attitude had changed, and they matched Tigard equally for control of the ball. As the time on the clock dwindled down, it seemed as if the game would end in a draw. With only minutes left, junior Alex Figueroa scored the final touch on a great game, securing the W for Tigard High School and garnering much cheer from the home crowd.