Girls soccer captures league crown

The girls soccer team posted wins in their final two league games of the season to finish with a perfect 10-0 record and the league title. Sisters defeated the Lions at Cottage Grove in a final score of 5-1 on Tuesday, October 21, and two days later posted a 6-0 win at Sutherlin.

Sisters played an outstanding game on the turf at Cottage Grove on Tuesday. The Lions are comfortable playing on turf, but it's always a challenge for other teams who are used to grass.

"On turf you have to play the game a little differently, as any long ball sent up the field will quickly roll out of bounds, and mistakes are really amplified on the field," said Coach Audrey Tehan. "A small mis-touch can have the ball moving away much more quickly than in grass. It's a valuable experience for us to play on turf as we will see more of it in playoffs."

The Outlaws were caught off-guard at the start of the contest, were out-numbered in the goal, and got scored on by the Lions in the first two minutes of play.

Sisters got back in the game quickly, and Molly Boyle scored one minute later off a cross from Cassandra Arruda.

Boyle scored again in the 35th minute off a Dani Rudinsky assist. Rudinsky passed the ball right to Boyle's feet in front of the goal and Boyle made the finishing touch.

At the half Sisters held a 2-1 advantage.

Boyle tallied a "hat trick" at the 57-minute mark. After several great passes, Liz Stewart received the ball, found Boyle despite a lot of pressure from the Lions, and Boyle knocked it in for the score.

Eleven minutes later, Taylor Schneider scored. Olivia Stewart ran the ball all the way up the sideline and crossed it over it Schneider, who booted it in and put the Outlaws on top 4-1.

A phenomenal shot from Arruda from 25 yards out into the upper-left corner wrapped up Sisters' scoring effort.

"Cass has been so strong in the outside position for us, as she can score from long range, and it takes the other teams off-guard," said Tehan.

Hannah Ceciliani made eight saves for the Outlaws.

"Hannah is really stepping up and being really vocal and helping direct the defense," said Tehan. "This is exactly what we need from her going into playoffs. She has a challenging position in our league as we are not pressured in the defensive end consistently. So, she has to work hard to stay engaged the entire game when a lot of times the ball is at the other end of the field. But she is really showing me she's ready for playoffs."

Two days later, the Outlaws finished strong with a shutout at Sutherlin.

The Outlaws scored in the seventh and eighth minutes to take a quick 2-0 lead. Boyle headed in a cross from Arruda, and Schneider scored off a through-ball from Boyle. Taylor was persistent and timed it perfectly to beat the defense and score.

Schneider scored again in the 12th minute of play. Chaundra Criag sent the ball to Taylor, who settled the ball from the air and scored a solid shot into the left side of the net.

Stewart launched in a long shot from about 25 yards out thanks to an assist from Michaela Miller to give the Outlaws a 4-0 lead at halftime.

Arruda and Stewart both scored in the second half and secured the 6-0 shutout. Arruda scored when she dribbled past three defenders and knocked in a long shot, and Stewart volleyed in a shot off the crossbar.

"We had a strong league finish and our scoring has improved drastically," said Tehan. "The girls maintained focus and will work hard on fine-tuning and staying focused this next week. I am confident our strong senior leaders Dani Rudinsky, Cassandra Arruda, Liz Stewart, Molly Boyle, Chaundra Craig, and Jenny O'Connor will lead the team in the playoffs. We are going to take playoffs one game at a time, aiming to go all the way to state."