Defense key in Tiegers' win over Baker

RIVALS: La Grande took care of business against Baker Thursday The Observer/Casey Kellas

The match was fiercely competitive in the first half with both teams buckling down defensively and not allowing many shots on goal.

But it was a Kayla Rasmussen goal before the half that gave the Tigers the edge at intermission.

Ashley Stremcha sealed the win with a late goal to put away the rival Bulldogs.

“This was a huge, huge win for us,” head coach Elena Nightingale said. “Anytime we play Baker we want to win, and to play as good as we did it feels good.”

The scene after the game described it all and showed why these girls play the game. The La Grande players were jumping and shouting in joy because they beat Baker.

“We changed our defense about a week ago and the girls have picked it up pretty fast. I think that’s really helped us improve our game,” Nightingale added.

The Tigers are now 3-1 in league play and travel to Payette, Idaho, for a non-league game Saturday.

The La Grande boys soccer team has been built around a solid defense, but that wasn’t the case Thursday when the Tigers hosted rival Baker.

After the Bulldogs scored an own goal just moments into the game, the Tigers had the momentum they needed as they downed Baker 7-0.

The Tigers stymied the Bulldogs with their defense, which led to plenty of shots on goal and eventually translated to goals scored.

La Grande’s goal keeper didn’t see much action throughout the game as Baker struggled with ball possession.

La Grande head coach Dan Mielke has preached defense all season long, and the Tigers are starting to benefit from it, creating offense through their defense.

Francisco Hernandez, Chris Giandrea, Tanner Greene and Eduardo Arceo were just a handful of players that contributed goals as well as tenacious defense.

The boys will now travel to Payette, Idaho for a rematch with the Pirates, who defeated La Grande at home Sept. 15.