Girls soccer is winning hearts

The Lady Outlaws soccer squad continued their dominance in league play with two more wins this past week. They’ve won with grace and humility and are endearing themselves to the other teams in the league.

Sisters posted an 8-0 shutout on the road at Siuslaw on Monday, September 19, and at home two days later recorded a 7-1 victory over Santiam Christian.

In Tuesday’s matchup, Juhree Kizziar and Marley Holden each tallied two goals, and Shae Wyland, Izzy Schiller, Tatem Cramer, and Becca Clausen added one goal each. Zoee Bafford logged two assists, and Lily Sundstrom and Trinity Alvarez recorded one each.

Coach Brian Holden told The Nugget that the win was a great group effort.

“The girls are continuing to grow as athletes and in learning the game of soccer. I’m so proud of their sportsmanship. They’ve been on the receiving side of other schools being arrogant and unsportsmanlike, and that was the catalyst for the girls to decide they were not going to be like that. The way they are conducting themselves on the field as sportsmen is how every high school, college, and professional athlete should be conducting themselves. Sisters is setting the bar.”

After the match with the Vikings, Holden received an email from Siuslaw’s head coach, Amy Tregoning, in which she thanked the Outlaws for making the long trek to Florence, and commended the girls for their outstanding sportsmanship, and Holden for his part in shaping his team.

Tregoning stated, “Even though your girls shut us down, my girls told me your team was the nicest team we’ve played yet. As you know, we’re a brand-new, first-year team made up of freshmen and sophomores. Through the loss, my girls learned a lot about what soccer should be, and your girls embody that. They are very talented, upbeat, and polite. Their skills and sportsmanship are fantastic!”

At home two days later, the Outlaws notched a win over Santiam Christian in a very physical contest.

Three minutes into the game, Cramer took a pass from Kizziar and booted a 25-yard shot over the keeper’s head for the score.

A short time later, Shae Wyland beat her opponent on the outside and crossed the ball to Marley Holden at the 18-yard box. Holden, with one touch, beat the keeper with a low shot into the net, and the Outlaws went up 2-0.

Just before the whistle sounded the end to the first half, the Eagles scored. The ball went off the crossbar, deflected back to another Eagle player, who shot the ball in the upper right corner to make it a 2-1 game.

Holden told The Nugget his players were a bit ticked off they’d been scored on. They had a reset in the locker room and came out hungry. Sisters scored five additional goals to seal the win. Marley Holden scored three of them, one of which was a penalty kick, and Cramer and Schiller each scored one.

Schiller’s goal was exceptionally nice. Bafford took the corner kick and crossed it into the box. Schiller took a one-time volley off her foot, which grazed the post and went in.

Coach Holden couldn’t be more proud of his team, not only their wins, but their exceptional behavior on and off the field. But he did tell his girls that there were two sides to sportsmanship, and it’s easy to show when you win, but you have to show that when you lose, also.

And the icing on the cake came Friday when Holden received an email from Jen Beyrle, associate director of the OSAA, congratulating the Lady Outlaws on their recent sportsmanship nomination.

She stated, “In a recent match, your varsity girls soccer program exhibited the great qualities that the OSAA looks for in teams, programs, and communities across the state, and your match official noticed! Keep up the great work!”

Sisters was to play at home against Central Linn, the No. 1 team in the league, on Monday, September 26. They will play at home against Creswell on Wednesday, September 28.