Lincoln boys soccer opens season with 7-0 blanking of Hood River Valley

Lincoln High School boys soccer didn’t wait long into the 2025 season to make it known how good they can be.

The OSAAtoday 6A preseason No. 5 Cardinals attacked early and often at home against 5A preseason No. 5 Hood River Valley, resulting in a 7-0 victory on the first day of fall competition.

Six different Cardinals scored, led by senior Hersom Regalado with two goals and an assist, and senior Jack Muirhead with a goal and an assist.

“Super proud of the boys’ performance, how they went about their business,” Lincoln head coach Brandon McNeil said. “The ability to rotate, sub and the level doesn’t drop is a credit to the quality of the group and how hard they work.”

Lincoln got in deep quickly, picking up four corners in the first 10 minutes. HRV goalkeeper Emmanuel Galindo did all he could to stop the onslaught, but the Cardinals would eventually break through.

On a pass from the baseline to the middle of the field that skipped by one Lincoln attacker found the foot of Muirhead, who launched it and found the net just under the crossbar.

“I’ve been trying to practice some of those (shots),” Muirhead said. “Last season, I didn’t score much. This year, I’m trying to score more, so it felt great to score and get to the corner with the boys, get some celebrations in early.”

That goal came in the 11th minute, and senior Merlin Danzmayr didn’t wait to join in on the fun, scoring a goal in the 19th minute from the near-side corner of the penalty box after some fancy dribbling to get the window.

The shots rained down after that, but none could find the net, making it 2-0 at the break.

In the 50th minute, Regalado got in on the fun and opened the flood gates thanks to a spectacular goal.

Regalado took a pass from the corner and worked his way to the top of the box with his own frantic footwork, then launched a shot that curved in the final moments to hit the upper, far-side of the goal.

“Honestly, it was just instinct. I honestly can’t tell you how I did it,” Regalado said. “It was a beautiful goal. I didn’t even know I did it, that’s crazy.”

One minute later, Muirhead sent a cross in to Harlan Novy-Marx near the far-side post and he placed a perfect header into the net.

In the 59th minute, Regalado did it again by getting out on a fastbreak, hitting the brakes, switched the ball to his right foot and hit another perfect curve that snuck into the side of the net on the far side.

Gus Eisenberg added a goal in the 65th minute off a breakaway that hit of the near-side post and trickled past the goal line. He also had two assists on the night.

Nico Sanchez Meraz provided the seventh and final goal on a similarly looking shot to Regalado’s first goal, a high curve that was simply out of reach for any keeper. He had one assist on the night as well.

All in all, the first match was pretty much everything McNeil could have asked for from his group on opening night as the expectations remain high for a Cardinals team that has won the PIL crown the last two years.

“The goal is always the same: The goal is to win the PIL first and foremost,” McNeil said. “Keep that streak going, peak at the right time, have the ability to play different ways and win at any type of small field, big field, rainy night, dodgy conditions. You have to do it all.”

Lincoln is in action next at home, welcoming in Parkrose at 7 p.m. Sept. 4.