Girls soccer advances to semifinals

The Lady Outlaws soccer team recovered from a 0-2 deficit and came back to claim a 3-2 victory at home over North Valley in the Class 4A-3A-2A-1A quarterfinals on Saturday, November 14.

The win left Sisters poised to take on No.-1-ranked Catlin Gable at home on Tuesday, November 17.

Sisters had a slow start in their match-up against North Valley. The Outlaws had numerous opportunities on goal but could not finish any in the first half. Sisters outshot the Knights 10-4, but played flat, without emotion or energy.

North Valley scored their first goal at the 21-minute mark to take a 1-0 lead. A breakdown in the Outlaws defense resulted in a great goal from North Valley's Lauren Crawford, who scored close to the near post.

The Outlaws were down 1-0 at the half.

Coach Nik Goertzen was not happy with how his girls played.

"We were beating ourselves. We were playing just 'blah' and were out of sync. I told them it would be OK if we were down and playing well but we weren't executing on offense or defense," said Goertzen.

Just 14 minutes into the second half, the Falcons scored again and pushed to a 2-0 advantage.

Goertzen said, "It didn't look good. Everyone was pointing fingers and no one was taking responsibility. I knew I had to do something different, so I brought in a couple of spark plugs off the bench (midfielders Lauren Chauncey and Michele Young)."

Chauncey and Young got the job done. They out-hustled everyone on the field and brought energy that the team desperately needed. Sisters went on to score three consecutive goals in less than five minutes.

Forty seconds after Chauncey and Young entered the game, Amity Calvin made a left-to-right diagonal pass to Marin Allen who beat the defenders to the ball and blasted a shot to the right of the keeper into the back of the net from 20 yards out.

Goertzen told The Nugget that the shot totally energized the players, and from that point on they were an entirely different team.

Two minutes and 13 seconds later Allen scored on a header from a corner kick from Young and tied it up 2-2.

"There was an unbelievable rush and charge of amazing energy," said Goertzen. "I went from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs and thought to myself, 'Oh, my gosh, we're in this!'"

Just 1:12 later Sisters scored on a free kick play. Young passed to the middle and the ball deflected off several defenders before Mindy Marr knocked it in with her knee, up and over the keeper's head. The Outlaws took the lead for the first time in the game and the home crowd went wild. Sisters held a narrow 3-2 lead with approximately six minutes left in the contest.

"We were playing high-intensity, dramatic soccer," said Goertzen. "It was unbelievable how fast everything turned. I think everyone knew we were the better team but we needed to hit the switch and when I brought those two girls in, that did it."

Sisters controlled the ball until the whistle blew and ended the game.

"I was so relieved, impressed and excited for the kids and for what they were able to do," said Goertzen. "They rose above the challenge of being down, overcame a lot of adversity and got the job done."

Goertzen noted the excellent play of Peggy Barrett and Marin Allen. Barrett really stepped up her play, won 50/50 balls, made great connections with the ball and was a great physical presence on defense. Allen played determined and never quit despite the fact she was knocked down and spun around the entire game.

"I'm so impressed with Marin and her willingness to stick to the task at hand," said Goertzen. "She literally willed the game."

The win pushed Sisters to their 14th win of the season, the most wins of any soccer team (including boys) in the history of Sisters soccer.

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, November 10, the Outlaws played their most complete game of the season in their 3-0 shutout over Westside Christian (WC) at Tualatin Park and Recreation in the second round of the state playoffs.

Sisters scored at the 17-minute mark on a free kick by Mindy Marr to take a 1-0 lead. Marr hit a bullet shot from 22 yards out that traveled up and over the keeper into the near post for the goal.

"It was an absolutely fantastic shot," said Goertzen. "It was perfectly executed, perfectly struck, and gave us a huge adrenaline rush."

The Lady Outlaws scored again two minutes later when Kelly Cole received a pass from Marin Allen inside the 30-foot mark. Cole drilled the ball in hip high to the left of the goalie and Sisters went up 2-0.

"That took the wind out their sails," said Goertzen. "It was like feeding the monster. At that point we stepped it up another notch. Our passes were crisper, our communication improved and our angled runs and positioning were better."

At the 35:40 mark, Marr made a pass from the middle to the outside to Jodie Reoch. Reoch streaked down the right side, outsprinted the defenders, gathered the ball and took it in at a diagonal and finished with an excellent shot for Sisters' third and final goal of the contest.