Forest Grove endures a difficult week against first-place McMinnville and second-place Hilhi

In the midst of an already trying season, the Forest Grove boys soccer team faced a daunting task last week with games against the top two teams in the Pacific Conference.

Forest Grove traveled to league-leading McMinnville last Tuesday and was saddled with a 4-0 loss, followed by another shutout loss on Thursday, this one a 3-0 decision against second-place Hillsboro.

The Vikings (1-8) have now lost five games in a row while being outscored 13-0, and haven't found the back of the net since a 2-1 victory over Newberg on Sept. 20.

The good news? Winless Newberg comes calling again next week, with Forest Grove hosting the Tigers on Tuesday in a game that will have travel implications for the play-in round of the state playoffs.

The Vikings also have conference games left against fifth-place Glencoe and sixth-place Century.