Columbia Basin's defense weathered an early setback and a shaky morning to pull away in the second half, beating Chemeketa 3-1 on Sunday.
Basin came out sharp, breaking through in the sixth minute when Jonathan Licona finished a feed from Marco Almazan to make it 1-0. From there, CBC controlled possession and territory for most of the first half, out-shooting Chemeketa 6-4 in the opening 45 minutes even as the scoreboard stayed close. That control nearly evaporated in the 37th minute, when Chemeketa's Addison Samuell converted a penalty kick to level the match at 1-1 heading into the break — the lone blemish on an otherwise dominant defensive effort.
Columbia Basin turned to three different goalkeepers over the course of the match: Moises Nino started and played the first half plus a few minutes, Luis Mancera took over just before halftime, and Sebastian Hernandez closed it out from the 69th minute on. Between them, the trio allowed only the penalty kick and combined for three saves — a testament to how well the back line limited Chemeketa's real chances even amid the substitutions.
Any doubt about the outcome disappeared early in the second half. Just over a minute after the restart, Joaquin Shanks Morales redirected another Almazan feed into the net to restore the lead, 2-1. Almazan's second assist of the day put him at the center of every goal the Hawks scored. Less than nine minutes later, Morales struck again — this time set up by Licona, who turned provider after opening the scoring himself — to make it 3-1 at the 55-minute mark.
From there, Columbia Basin leaned on its shot volume to run the clock and the game plan. The team finished with 15 shots to Chemeketa's 6, and 10 of those found the frame compared to just 3 for the visitors. After a flurry of hard tackles, the Hawks took exception and a shoving match ensued on the field. Once the dust settled, both teams played on with just a stern talking but no cards issued for either side. Chemeketa managed a handful of second-half looks but Columbia Basin's goalkeeping rotation held firm, and the visitors never seriously threatened to level the match again.
Two second-half yellow cards, to Alexander Serrano and Sergio Mora, were the only real interruptions in an otherwise clean closing stretch. With the win, Columbia Basin improves to 2-1-1 on the season, powered by a balanced attack that ran through Almazan's playmaking and finished by Licona and Morales.
