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Henley girls give Phoenix Photo by Bob Pennell Phoenix's Jennifer Bones, center, battles for possession. first loss in District 6 soccer By KRIS HENRY TALENT -- Losing is a reality in sports. The Phoenix High girls soccer team, however, had managed to postpone the experience until Saturday. Taking full advantage of its opportunities, Henley stunned the District 6-leading Pirates 2-0 in a physical match at Hagler-James Park. Phoenix had twice as many shots on goal as the Hornets (20-10) but the Pirates simply couldn't convert with the same pace as their counterparts. "They made the most of their opportunities and we couldn't manage anything with ours," said Phoenix coach Dan Sporrer. "I give them credit. That's the game of soccer. If you can take advantage of what you've created, you're going to win." Saturday's loss dropped Phoenix to 7-1-2 in District 6 play, while Henley improved to 7-3-0 and pulled within two points of the league-leading Pirates. Rogue River's win over Hidden Valley on Saturday also pulled the Chieftains within two points of Phoenix. Despite losing ground in his team's bid to secure the District 6 title, Sporrer said his team won't fall into a panic due to Saturday's loss. "All those wins don't make a season, and neither does this one loss," he said. "We won't make too much of this. We still have four games to play." Henley appeared extremely focused on leaving Hagler-James Park with a win, and took its first step at the 21st minute as senior Cathy Mayer gathered a pass from freshman Emily Mathis and booted a shot past Phoenix goalie Tara Curtis. The Hornets kept the pressure on with a strong counter-attack six minutes later that found sophomore Katy Lynch in the right place at the right time. With Mathis streaking up the right side, Lynch settled into the middle awaiting a cross. When it came, Curtis appeared to have halted the threat but somehow the ball escaped her grasp and trickled toward Lynch, who punched it into the net for a 2-0 lead. "She pushed up and made things happen," Sporrer said of Mathis, who had a part in both goals despite her role as defender. Annie Kulig had a prime chance to trim Henley's lead a few minutes later, only to have Hornet goalie Nicole Pence sprawl to block Kulig's effort. The sliding save not only kept the Pirates off the scoreboard, but it sent Kulig to the sidelines until the second half as the junior re-aggravated an ankle injury that has plagued her all season. The Pirates picked up the pace in the second half but found similar results as three scoring opportunities were denied thanks to wide shots in the opening five minutes. Another shot by sophomore Helen Shorland barely missed its mark after clipping Henley defender Kaylea Foster and bending inches outside the goal post. Senior forward Jennifer Bones also did her best to break the drought, offering up at least six scoring chances to no avail. Neither team was able to get into a rhythm in the second half thanks to some questionable officiating. After a rough first half where very little was called, the exact opposite took place in the second half, where any contact typically resulted in either a free kick or a yellow card. Both officials apologized to the respective coaches following the game, but Sporrer and Henley coach Rod Husain stopped short of blaming the officials for any of their team's missed opportunities. "We've been in a real dry spell when it comes to scoring goals," said Sporrer. "It's been taking about 25 shots before we can score a goal lately. "The physical play only adds to the frustration. It wasn't a determining factor. All it did was make it that much more frustrating when we couldn't capitalize on our opportunities." Sporrer said part of his team's problems Saturday stemmed from the Pirates' lack of aggression toward the ball. Henley's players appeared quicker and more determined to track down any loose ball. "In soccer the determining factor a lot of times is who wins those 50-50 balls, and we didn't win many of those today," said Sporrer. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.