RIVERSIDE

On a chilly day where the air flew fierce and free, the winds of victory blew in the favor of Highland who opened up a new soccer season with a 2-0 road win over Mid-Prairie on April 1. 

“It feels good. The kids worked hard. The product we saw in the field was just a result of everything that we’ve done in the off season via weight room or open gyms,” Highland head coach Dylan Stewart said about the win over Mid-Prairie.  “I’m really happy to start the season off with the win, but more importantly, I thought we played really well as a team.”

With about 15 minutes left in the first half, Highland broke the 0-0 deadlock with its first goal of the season courtesy of Jared Diaz. About 10 minutes later the senior found the back of the net once again to double Highland’s lead.

“Jared has just been kind of dialed in this season for us. Even at the end of last season, he was really a big contributor for us,” coach Stewart said. “Obviously, he’s going to be a huge contributor for us this year, but I think today, he was just really locked in.”

“It just feels nice scoring for my team, at the end of the day, it’s a team sport, so it feels nice,” Diaz said after his two-goal performance against Mid-Prairie.

The assists for those goals came from sophomores Hunter Seibel and Jose Ramirez.

Defense dominated the second half with both teams being held scoreless to arrive at the final score of 2-0 to cement Highland’s first season opening win since 2019 and its first win over Mid-Prairie since 2015.

With three saves on the day it was a clean sheet for Highland goalkeeper Ayden Havel. Communication among the defense was key for the Huskies to keep Mid-Prairie’s offense at bay. 

“I can’t say enough. Our back line is anchored by Angel Avendano and I thought today, he just did a great job commanding that back line. Our goalie, Ayden Havel, was always communicating with them,” coach Stewart said. “That was a big thing, communication, and that’s where it starts, and I think our defense exemplified that today.”

Highland 3, Washington 2

Highland’s first home game of the season last Thursday welcomed the Demons from Washington and in a back and forth struggle it was the tenacious Huskies who completed the comeback to earn their second straight victory.

This was Highland’s first win over Washington since 2019 and it is the first time since 2012 they opened up a season with back-to-back wins. 

The Demons made their presence on the scoreboard known first by scoring a goal with 26 minutes left in the first half. One minute later, Sage Hartley-Norman evened up the score for the Huskies with his first goal of the season.

In the second half with 27 minutes left Washington cashed in on a corner kick to retake the lead, but just like before Highland had an answer ready.

About two minutes later Highland equalized with a senior to senior connection as Jared Diaz sent a cross into the box and it was sent into the net courtesy of a header from Logan McFarland. 

With momentum on their side, less than a minute later, Diaz scored what ended up being the game winner, a long distance shot from outside the box which was tipped by a Washington defender and landed in the goal.

Diaz ended the day with two assists and one goal, leading Highland with three goals total on the young season. Goalkeeper Ayden Havel tallied 13 saves. 

Up next for Highland (2-0) is a home game against Wapello (0-2) on April 10.