Hoquiam’s game plan on Saturday afternoon against rival Aberdeen was simple — defend the middle of the field, close down on the Bobcats’ biggest threat and take the chances that come its way.

It was super effective.

The Grizzlies’ Emma Skinner ran onto a long clearing kick, slipped past two Bobcat defenders and scored the first and only goal of the match, 1-0, to win this non-league girls soccer contest at Stewart Field.

Skinner’s goal came in the 52nd minute, which allowed the Grizzlies (3-4) to withstand the Bobcats’ pressure to the end.

“From the start of the game, we had one game plan — shut down the middle — because they are so good in the middle of the field,” HHS head coach Drew Grannemann said. “We cut off their through balls and moved them into the wings. It was 80 minutes of defense and we got (50 percent) of possession. We knew what we had to do to make this game close.”

“Hoquiam got a nice through ball on a counter attack to a very speedy player,” AHS head coach Ryan Housden said. “Other than that, it was a very hard fought Aberdeen-Hoquiam game. Hoquiam’s girls made it hard for us to get through.

The entire first half went Hoquiam’s way. Play was stifled in the midfield for both teams, with the Grizzlies’ Isabel Hernandez shadowing Aberdeen’s Tayler Housden the entire time. Both Housden and Skinner each had one through ball chance to get onto the scoreboard.

“Izzy did a great job on Housden and got her frustrated,” Grannemann said. “That was a morale boost for the team. It was one of the small things that helped the whole team.”

“Our midfield connections and transition from defense to offense has been our biggest problem this season,” coach Housden added. “There’s just no finish there (on offense).”

In the 23rd minute, Housden ran down a loose long ball that allowed her to beat Hoquiam’s defense. Hoquiam goalkeeper Jade Cox came out to threaten the run and made the save in the process.

Three minutes later, Skinner split two AHS defenders on a long ball to get a one-on-one chance with AHS goalkeeper Reagan Glanz. Skinner got to the ball a second before Glanz, but the junior goalkeeper blocked the poke attempt to clear the chance.

Skinner’s goal came against the run of play. Aberdeen (1-5) was pressuring the Hoquiam defense, with Housden getting a dangerous chance on a free kick that went straight into the arms of Cox minutes earlier.

A long clearance header went over the Bobcat defense and into the path of a sprinting Skinner, who is a state-qualifying sprinter in track in the spring. The senior forward slid past one defender, who lost her balance, for a shot on Glanz and deposited the ball into the net.

Once the goal was scored, the match opened up. Both teams had chances through to the final whistle.

Housden tried to tie the match herself minutes after Skinner’s goal, taking on five HHS defenders. She found space for a shot 16 yards out, but Cox caught it easily. An Aberdeen free kick taken by Housden forced Cox to punch the ball over the crossbar also threatened the Hoquiam lead.

In the end, Aberdeen’s shots were coming from well outside of the penalty area, which were easy for Cox to catch and clear. Hoquiam’s offense dried up late in order to preserve the victory.

On Tuesday, Aberdeen hosts Black Hills. On Thursday, Hoquiam returns at home against Forks.