Girls soccer defeated in tight match-ups

The girls soccer squad suffered two losses this past week, falling 2-1 to Elmira on Tuesday, September 26, and two days later, taking a 1-0 loss at home against Junction City.

On Tuesday, Sisters scored the first goal of the game in the eighth minute of the contest. Rylee Weber crossed the ball over to Brianna Bachmeier, who tapped it into the net for the goal.

The game went back and forth, and then Elmira scored to tie it up 1-1 at the 28-minute mark.

It was a tie game going into the half, with both teams giving it their all. The Falcons scored again in the 64th minute off a corner kick. Sisters pressured the Falcons, and had some opportunities late in the game, but just couldn't find the back of the net.

Elmira knocked a ball into the net in the 19th minute, and held their 1-0 advantage to the end.

Rheanna Salisbury played a huge game in goal for the Outlaws, and had some big saves that kept them in the game. Salisbury had some crucial one-on-one stops, and several times she was able to position her body and catch the ball.

Coach Jaron Jacobsen has been pleased with the Outlaws' defense, and commented on specific players and their contributions.

"Our defense is playing extremely well," said Jacobsen. "They communicate well, and Alexa (Stewart) is able to shut down the opposing fast-forwards pretty much every game. Gracen (Sundstrom) is a composed center-back with the capability of reading the play and stepping in and defending very well. Emma (Horner) is new to defense, but she is picking up the role of a defender quickly, and is a huge part of that back line. Josie (Aylor) and Sophia (Bianchi) play at the right-back position, and both have strong assets they bring on the field. Sophia is a smart defender, and knows how to hold up the opponent, and Josie is a quick-reaction defender, and steps in and reads the plays very well."

Although the Outlaws are having a hard time recording a win, they are improving daily, and are a very different team from what they were at the start of the season.

"The girls are playing really, really good soccer right now," said Jacobsen. "We just need to convert our chances on the offensive end. We are getting chances and opportunities; we just need to find the back of the net. They're working hard and are hungry to defeat these teams the next round of league play.

"We have the talent, and we are moving in the right direction right now. I told the team that we should be playing our best soccer about mid-way through the season, and today was our best overall game. Even though we didn't get the results we wanted, we proved we belong to play and compete with the best teams out there."

The Outlaws are currently 1-3-1 in league and 1-5-1 overall. Sisters was to host La Pine at home on Monday, October 2. They will travel to Cottage Grove on Thursday, October 5.