Girls soccer team snaps losing streak

The Lady Outlaws soccer team was bested 0-2 by the Eagles at Stayton on Tuesday, September 18, but two days later came back with their first league win of the season, a 1-0 victory at home over the Sweet Home Huskies.

Sisters played a great game against the Eagles, the No. 1 team in the Oregon West League, despite coming up short. The Outlaws were still without their starting goalkeeper Rheanna Salisbury, who has missed the last three games, and it was a challenge to keep their momentum going.

The game was scoreless through the first 27 minutes of play, and then the Eagles scored on a free kick. At the half, the Outlaws trailed 0-1. Stayton added their final goal at the 60-minute mark, and held on for the shutout.

Coach Jaron Jacobsen noted that Hallie Schwartz and Alexa Stewart played particularly well.

"Hallie and Alexa both had a big game for us," said Jacobsen. "They all performed well, but Hallie and Alexa helped the team stay in the game, and they fought hard!

"I felt like we possessed the ball very well and were able to find feet and control most of the game," added Jacobsen. "Our girls battled, and we had some chances to score and make the game interesting."

In their home contest on Thursday, Sisters came out on top and posted their first league win in a very physical game against the Huskies. Penalty cards were flying as Sweet Home had five yellow cards in the game and the Outlaws had one.

Hollie Lewis scored for the Outlaws at the 61-minute mark on an unassisted goal to give Sisters the lead, and ultimately the winning goal.

Sisters had several chances to score, with 18 total shots, 10 of them on goal. They also had six corner kicks and five free kicks, but just weren't able to capitalize on the opportunities.

Gracen Sundstrom said, "We had possession of the ball basically the entire time. They were super-aggressive, but we held our own and tried not to stoop down. We wanted to be respectful, and we just played our game."

Jacobsen gave shout-outs to Lewis, Hallie Schwartz, Alexa Stewart, Lola Green and Olivia Hougham for their big contributions.

"Hollie Lewis was our goal-scorer and our speed up top," said Jacobsen. "She has been having a great season so far, and I look for her to continue to play well as a freshman. Hallie, Olivia, and Lola are my center mid players and control our tempo and play of the game. They've played well the last two games, and are a huge part of our success this season so far. They give us opportunities to win games, and they really work hard and play well as a trio. Alexa is our anchor in the back. She shuts down opposing forwards, is very well balanced in the back as our captain, and has really grown as a player this year."

Sisters is currently 1-5 in league and 2-6 overall. Next up for the Outlaws is a match-up at home against Newport on Thursday, September 27.