Lightning has struck the Pacific High School soccer team in the form of forfeits for an ineligible exchange student for the second straight year.

On the same day the Pirates battled North Bend in the best match of the new season, they learned they must forfeit their early Far West League matches because Rodrigo Caicedo was a student for too many years in his native Ecuador before arriving on the South Coast as an exchange student this fall.

North Bend beat Pacific 1-0 in a match both coaches described as one of the best they've ever been involved in. The excitement of the battle helped offset the depressing news earlier in the day for Pacific.

“It's a huge disappointment,” said Diana Swenson, the wife of veteran Pacific coach Tom Swenson. “Our kids were devastated.”

Caicedo is at Pacific as a Rotary International exchange student.

School officials did not determine until this week that he was ineligible for the soccer team under Oregon School Activities Association rules.

Swenson said he was notified by Pacific athletic director Tom Dill that Caicedo might be ineligible on Monday. Dill did not return a phone call by deadline this morning.

In Caicedo's case, he is ineligible because he attended a full 12 years of school (not counting kindergarten) in Ecuador. In the United States, students who already have completed 12 years of school are not eligible for athletics.

“When a foreign student arrives, they shouldn't receive more eligibility than a United States student, and that's the reason we have these rules,” said OSAA Assistant Executive Director Michael Wallmark. “This is a similar rule all the states in the United States have.”

Last year, Pacific had to forfeit several games because of an administrative oversight involving two exchange students who were living with coaches at the high school - a violation of another OSAA rule Pacific officials weren't aware of until after the season started.

Those two students were able to play the remainder of the season after OSAA ruled in favor of Pacific's hardship request that they be eligible due to the size of the community, the limited number of potential host families and the fact that Pacific did not break the rule intentionally.

That won't be the case this year. Caicedo won't be allowed to play even though his teammates voted to forfeit their games and let him be part of the team because the school could face strict fines from OSAA for deliberately breaking the rules.

For Tom Swenson, it's a recurring nightmare after last season.

“It's difficult to return to this,” he said, though he added the team will make the best of the situation.

“We'll just keep playing,” he said. “These guys like playing the game. We'll keep going.”

Last year, Pacific was able to rally from the early forfeits to reach the league playoffs and then win a first-round state playoff game.

That could be the case again, though it will be an uphill battle. Pacific was forced to forfeit wins over Coquille and Sutherlin and a tie against South Umpqua and is at the bottom of the league standings.

The Pirates showed against North Bend on Tuesday they are one of the league's top teams.

The 1-0 North Bend victory was a delight for the coaches, players and fans.

“The game was so great that when the game was over, nobody cheered because all the fans were wanting it to keep going,” said North Bend coach Blaine Deming. “That's how great the game was.”

Tom Swenson said both teams played outstanding matches.

“If you get beaten by a team that's a good team and you play a good, solid game, there's nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “These kind of losses are fine. The kids played a great game. They played their hearts out on both sides of the field.”

“It was a classic matchup,” said Deming. “We matched up really well with them up and down the middle of the field. Both sides had some really good chances to score. We just happened to put one in and they didn't.”

Andrea Castagnine scored the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute.

“There were a couple of opportunities for both teams,” Swenson said. “What was nice tonight, is I thought we got a pretty mature game out of our inexperienced keeper (sophomore Julian Carter). He played well for us.”

Swenson said North Bend goalie Eric Horbatiuk also had a strong match.

The other fun battle was between Pacific star John Swenson and North Bend's Viktor Dalen in the midfield.

“That was a lot of fun,” Tom Swenson said.

“It was one of the most fun games I've ever watched play,” Deming said. “Both teams were really going at it having a great time.”