Lacrosse advances to semifinals

The boys lacrosse team crushed South Salem in 23-8 victory in the first round of the Cascade Cup on Wednesday, May 28, held at home at Reed Stadium. Two days later, the Outlaws defeated Churchill 17-5 at home, and will advance to the semifinals.

Sisters was to face Oregon City at home on Tuesday, June 3.

Sisters jumped out firing on all cylinders in their match-up against South Salem on Wednesday. The Outlaws dominated play in every aspect of the game, and their offense was nothing short of spectacular.

Coach Bill Rexford said, "The Outlaws were very excited to play in the first round of the Cascade Cup and it showed. It was a great first-round match-up, and South Salem played hard. They were a good opponent and well-coached. But, for the first time in awhile, we were the bigger, faster, stronger team."

The Outlaws kept the ball on their half of the field the majority of the game. If the Saxons did manage to get past the mid-field line, they only got 10 or 15 yards before the Outlaws took possession and turned it back their way.

Scott Nelson, Mark Fish, and Zach Valoppi amassed over half of the Outlaws' goals. Nelson recorded six, Valoppi tallied five, and Fish scored four.

The Outlaws' JV came in and played the entire second half of the contest.

Rexford told The Nugget that Gary Jacques, Porter Ford, Devon Slaughter, and Casey Lane are a nice tight defensive unit, and are getting better every game.

Rexford also noted Chris Burdick and Tyler Head.

"These two short-stick defenders are super-athletic and doing a great job," said Rexford.

Senior goalie Spencer Smith commented on the contest.

"The biggest difference from other games we've played in the past was our offense," said Smith. "They were very productive today. They had good looks, and were confident, and capitalized on their opportunities. Players who don't normally assert themselves did today. They made plays, and made things happen.

"From my perspective, all the goals that South Salem did get were garbage goals," added Smith. "We let a lot by that shouldn't have gotten by."

Two days later, the Outlaws faced Churchill in the quarterfinals. Three years ago, the Outlaws were destroyed by the Lancers, but this time it was a much different story.

Pre-game music was quite different than the norm. German tunes were played in honor of foreign exchange student Ron Kilian, who hails from Germany, and has played lacrosse for the Outlaws all season.

The game began, and Sisters came out strong and confident. Four minutes into the game, the Outlaws scored two quick goals: the first an unassisted goal by Jens Stadeli, and the second a goal from Nelson, with an assist from Mark Fish.

Churchill scored a goal at the five-minute mark, but Sisters answered back with unassisted goals from Stadeli and Fish, which put the Outlaws on top 4-1 at the close of the first quarter.

"That was among the best first quarters of lacrosse I've seen in a long time," said assistant coach Andrew Gorayeb. "And, despite the fact our excellent goalie Spencer Smith is suffering from the flu, he has done a yeoman's job and made many stops in goal."

Sisters tallied five more goals in the second quarter: three goals from Stadeli, one with an assist from Fish; and two unassisted goals from Nelson. At the half the Outlaws held a 9-4 lead.

Lightning caused a delay, and teams and spectators waited patiently for the game to resume.

Gorayeb said, "The team's working well together. They brought intensity at the beginning and kept it through the first half. We just need to keep the momentum going."

Gorayeb noted Chance Halley's first-half performance.

"Chance is my hero," said Gorayeb. "He played his best half of lacrosse to date. I'm so impressed. He played hard, and ran the ball down the field at least a dozen times."

Halley, who starts at midfield, commented, "I took everything coach told me and put it out on the field. I'm using my speed, and taking the extra steps coach told me to. That opened up opportunities for me to assist other players."

Stadeli was on fire in the third quarter, and scored two goals within fifteen seconds to push the Outlaws to an 11-4 advantage. Nelson followed with an assist from Stadeli, and Sisters went up 12-4.

Churchill scored one goal mid-way through the quarter, but the Outlaws racked up four more, including a goal from Nelson with 13 seconds left on the clock. Sisters held a commanding 16-4 lead at the close of the quarter.

Coach Rexford shouted, "Scotty, do your thing," and Nelson maneuvered in, around, and through the defense to score unassisted.

When asked what Rexford meant, Scott replied, "It means I need to match up with my defenders, and get a dodge past him for a shot on goal or a pass."

Rexford stated, "When Scotty moves his feet, no one can stop him."

Tyler Head scored Sisters' final goal in the final quarter. When the buzzer sounded, players on the sidelines flooded the field to celebrate the win.

Stadeli received the game, ball for his outstanding performance.

"Jens loves the game and he loves the sport," stated Rexford. "He's constantly elevating us. I'm just so happy we get to spend more time with the guys. I don't want it to end."