On a crisp Tuesday evening at Redmond High School, the Panthers aimed to parlay their first league win in nearly seven seasons into a victory over their rivals. That did not materialize, as Ridgeview dominated Redmond 4-0.

The Ravens, now 2-0 in the 5A Intermountain Conference, controlled possession for nearly all of the contest, suffocating the Panthers defensively and capitalizing on myriad unforced errors. It was not a perfect offensive performance by any means — two shots ricocheted off the crossbar in the first half and Ridgeview missed one of its two penalty kicks — but the result pleased Ravens coach Kyle Chown.

“It’s always fun to play against the crosstown rivals,” Chown said. “We’re still working things out. It’s a long season, and the preseason didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but we’re starting to come into form a little bit.”

The first half included two goals from the Ravens: One by Jordyn Buresh on a penalty kick, and the other a strike by Sadie Benz that caromed off the keeper’s gloves. In the second half, Justice Williams-Orlando and Grace Sorensen both scored.

Buresh said the Ravens have to focus on finishing their chances around the net.

“We have a young team with a lot of new players,” she said. “With what we have, we haven’t struggled at all. We’re doing a good job keeping the team up and focusing on winning, we just have to take advantage of our opportunities.”

Redmond is a young team as well, and coach Martha Segura is pleased with how her team is progressing despite a 2-3 overall record.

“I’m really proud of my girls and the way they played,” Segura said of Tuesday’s game. “I view Ridgeview as the top team in the conference. This was a big step for our girls to play them as well as they did.”

Last Thursday’s win over Pendleton was a momentous occasion for the Panthers, as they broke the dubious streak of league losses that stretched back to 2011.

Now, heading into Thursday’s road tilt with Hood River Valley, they hope to keep the momentum going.

“What’s most important is that my girls learn to deal with adversity,” Segura said. “You’ve got to know how to bounce back and we’ve got better ourselves for our next opponent.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0307, rclarke@bendbulletin.com