By Conner Orr

Last year, the first time the two met each other, they were both 5-0 heading into the game. The game was played at Hockinson and was a close one that saw River overcome a 1-0 deficit to win 3-1. The game was the closest game River had played up to that point and with Hockinson only losing by two goals- River, up to that point, had usually won by an average of about five goals- they felt they had what it took to give River their first loss of the season in their second matchup.

Despite this, In their second matchup, the game was never close, with River taking a 7-0 win. However, going into this season, with the amount of Hockinson players that developed over the offseason, and the strong roster River, it looked to be a game-of-the-year candidate.

Heading into the game, on Tuesday, both teams were undefeated in league, with both teams sitting atop it. 

When the game started, it lasted around 15 minutes before any side scored. However, sophomore Mason Renner was able to knock in the first goal of the game which gave River momentum and an early 1-0 lead. Then, just a while later, Renner punched in another goal after a rebound off of the Hawk’s keeper, which grew River’s lead to 2-0 going into halftime.

After halftime, junior Tyler Brown of River found the back of the net from a cross from sophomore Tito Banuelos, which increased River’s lead to 3-0. Despite this, Hockinson did not back down and eventually scored with around 15 minutes left, which gave them life as they narrowed River’s lead to 3-1 and regained some momentum.

However, River quickly retaliated to make the game out of reach for Hockinson- junior team captain Johnpaul Guzman scored two goals, one off a corner kick and the other from a penalty kick. This made the game 5-1 and sealed any hope for a Hockinson comeback.

Due to the win, River now improves to 4-0 on the year and maintains the top seed in league.

They play later today against Mark Morris at 7 p.m. Good luck, lads!