Soccer kicks off with jamboree

The boys and girls soccer teams traveled to Summit on Thursday, August 30, for the Storm's annual jamboree. Four teams attended the event, including Sisters (4A), Summit, Mt. View and Redmond - all 5A teams.

Each team played two 30-minutes games. Both the boys and girls teams faced Summit and Mt. View.

The boys lost 1-0 against Summit. The Storm scored with 10 minutes left on the clock and held the Outlaws off for the win.

Summit is a strong athletic team and one of the top ten 5A teams in the state. Taking that into consideration, Coach Rob Jensen felt his team played well.

"It was a good, competitive game, and we were solid all over the field," said Jensen. "Summit exposed some communication weakness on our right side but we will work on that and it is easily fixed. This game showed we can compete at a high level, and to be tight with a team like that shows us we'll be able to meet most of our goals."

The Outlaws lost 3-1 in their following match-up against Mt. View.

Jensen stated that the Outlaws controlled the ball better than in their previous game, but they noticed they need to get in better physical condition.

"Mt. View was strong at defense," stated Jensen. "We got tired and they were able to capitalize."

Evan Rickards scored Sisters' lone goal in the contest. Evan beat the defender and scored in the corner of the box.

On the girls' side, the Outlaws lost 2-0 against Summit, one of the most difficult teams Sisters will face all season.

Coach Audrey Tehan told The Nugget that Summit has always had a strong program and their players play competitive club soccer year-round.

The Lady Outlaws suffered two injuries in the last 18 minutes of the game, and two players had to take the sidelines for the remainder of the contest. Center defender Liz Stewart had her face-mask break and had to come out of the game, and immediately following that, forward Emily Corrigan had to come off the field due to injury. The Storm scored twice on combination passes in the final 10 minutes to earn the win.

"We had to make huge adjustments," said Tehan.

The Outlaws lost 1-0 against Mt. View in their final game. Stewart managed to get her face-mask fixed and was able to play.

Tehan noted Molly Boyle and Stewart for their outstanding defense. Tehan also had praise for Natalie Ambrose and Michaela Miller, who were crucial players in both games, and dominated the midfield on both offense and defense.

"For our first games of the season, I thought the girls played phenomenal," said Tehan. "They adjusted quickly to huge changes, which is something a lot of teams can't do. They kept a positive attitude the entire time, and our team support was higher than any other team there."

The boys and girls teams will play at home on Thursday, September 6, against Molalla. The girls' game is set for a 4 p.m. start and the boys game will follow at approximately 5:30 p.m.