Soccer players named to all-league teams

The girls soccer team had five players named first-team all-league and one more earned second-team all-league recognition.

Marin Allen, Jodie Reoch, Zoe McAllister, Natalie Ambrose and Sara Small were first-team all-league picks and Small took top honors as the MVP (most valuable player) in the Sky-Em league.

Small, a junior goalkeeper, is committed to the game. Sara was one of the team captains and recorded 83 saves during league play and only allowed three goals.

"Sara has the heart of a lion and doesn't back down to anyone," said Coach Nik Goertzen. "She is ultra-competitive, very talented and a very hard worker. She has a team-first mentality and always sacrifices for the betterment of the team. She has become the vocal leader on our team and sets numerous examples by how she carries herself both on and off the field. She has grown into being the best keeper ever in the Sky-Em. Of all the keepers I've seen in the past two years she is by far the best in the state. Her stats speak volumes for what she has accomplished."

Junior striker Jodie Reoch is one of the fastest girls, not only in the Sky-Em, but in the state. Reoch gave the Lady Outlaws an additional speed threat up front and had the talent and ability to dominate games. Jodie racked up 22 goals in league, with eight of the goals unassisted, to lead the Outlaws in scoring. In addition, Reoch dished out eight assists.

"Jodie really blossomed this year and positioned herself as a reliable force up front," stated Goertzen. "She contributed with free kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks."

Allen, a team captain, was also a force at the striker position for the Outlaws. Marin scored 19 goals in league for the Outlaws, four of which were unassisted, and recorded seven assists. This is the second consecutive year Allen has earned first-team all-league honors.

"Marin is the all-time leading scorer in school history and is one of five four-year letterwomen. She is an instrumental piece of the program and has a relentless pursuit of the ball. Marin was a valuable presence on the field and showed marked improvement every year. She holds the record for the most headers scored in the program and also has the most amount of incredible shots made. Marin led the team in goals scored during the 2010 playoff run. She gave 100 percent to the coach and the program. I am really going to miss her," said Goertzen.

McAllister (junior) earned first-team honors as defender. Zoe scored a goal for the Outlaws when she was moved up front and she also recorded two assists.

"Zoe was the marking specialist on our team," said Goertzen. "She was always willing to take on the role no matter who we played. She shut down the best offensive players on opposing teams and was an instrumental part of our defensive unit that led the state. She gave us that element of toughness and was focused and serious. She put the team first."

Freshman Natalie Ambrose rounds out the first-team all-leaguers and was also a big contributor to the Outlaws' offense. Natalie was the third leading scorer on the team, with 15 goals. Ambrose also had six assists for Sisters in league.

"Natalie is a phenomenal player and was the cornerstone of our midfield," commented Goertzen. "She has a huge heart and is willing to do whatever I ask of her. She is one of the fastest players on the team, in the league and in the state. She's an extremely unselfish player and always put the team first. We have only just begun to see her potential."

Junior Michelle Young was a second team pick and played sweeper for the Outlaws. Young was the heart and anchor of the Outlaws defense.

"Michelle is tough, communicative and has a willingness to sacrifice," said Goertzen. "She's our penalty-kick queen and her two penalty kicks against Scappoose won the game for us. She contributed with goal kicks, free kicks and corner kicks. She's a great passer, is a vocal leader on defense and led the team in tackles. Michelle is the leader of the best defensive team in the state."

The Lady Outlaws made school history going 17-1 overall, the most games won by a Lady Outlaws soccer team. This year the girls won the most games of all 4A teams in the state. Sisters scored 98 goals on the season with only seven goals scored against them which is also the best in the state. The Lady Outlaws were crowned Sky-Em champs for the first time ever with an undefeated record of 10-0. Sisters recorded 12 shutouts overall, which tied for the best of all teams at the 4A level. Sisters was also the smallest school to compete in the 2010 playoffs.

Goertzen was named Coach of the Year.

"It's a special achievement based on a successful philosophy for me as coach, but I couldn't have gotten it without the girls," he said.