With 11 seniors on the roster, it appeared that South Eugene's boys soccer team had all the experience it needed to reclaim the 6A Southwest Conference title this season.
But coach Pete Peterson wasn't convinced the Axe was ready to take a step forward from 2023, when it finished as conference runner-up to Willamette and lost in the second round of the state playoffs with three seniors on the team.
“I anticipated this would be a rebuilding year,” Peterson said. “Frankly, I wasn't hugely impressed with some of the junior class. Just because you have a lot of juniors one season, it doesn't necessarily mean the next year is going to be phenomenal.”
The way it has played out, though, Peterson said this South Eugene team is good as any during his previous five seasons as head coach. That includes state quarterfinal teams in 2021 and 2022.
Ranked No. 5 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll, the Axe (12-1-2, 11-1 Southwest) won its seventh conference title since 2016. After opening the season with scoreless draws against 5A No. 1 Summit and 6A No. 3 Beaverton, South Eugene has won 12 of 13 matches, the only blemish a 1-0 defeat at Grants Pass.
“They're tight as a group,” Peterson said. “We've got some guys that have experienced quite a bit of soccer at different levels and different environments. We have worked out tails off. We have been working since last November until now, everything we could legally do under the OSAA guidelines.”
Defense has set South Eugene apart. The Axe has yielded only three goals all season, second in 6A to Beaverton, which has given up two goals. South Eugene graduated a four-year varsity goalkeeper in Tate Glock but has found a stellar replacement in junior Joey Lacey, who came up from JV.
“He's bona fide,” Peterson said.
The back line of seniors Scott Twyman, Luke Lauderbach, Sammy Villalta and junior Dylan Gupta and senior center midfielders Levi Hawes and Jahan Sabzalian have kept much of the heat off Lacey.
“They've provided a heck of a screen for him all season long,” Peterson said. “In the clutch, Joey has preserved that great goals-against record, but a lot of that consistency has come from the players that are positioned in front of him.”
Lacey, a member of Eugene Metro FC, has been playing like a veteran. If he makes a mistake, he is able to quickly put it behind him, according to Peterson.
“Being a goalkeeper requires a lot of mental skills, and that is what Joey has,” Peterson said. “He's got the right mental head space to be that type of goalkeeper. … He has shown that he commands his box. When there's a quick decision that's needed, he's not afraid to make it.”
South Eugene's only win against a team currently ranked in the top 10 of the coaches poll is a 1-0 home victory over No. 8 West Linn on Sept. 24. The Axe made a first-half goal by senior Tomas de Andraca stand up.
South Eugene won two other matches by one goal. Sophomore Mason Allenbaugh's goal with four minutes left beat Sheldon 2-1 on Sept. 17 in a match that the Axe finished with 10 players. South Eugene won 1-0 at South Medford on Sept. 27 behind an early goal from Twyman.
The 1-0 loss at Grants Pass (11-2-1, 9-2-1) – the conference runner-up – on Oct. 3 stung South Eugene, which had defeated the Cavemen 6-1 at home Sept. 12.
“Grants Pass is a tough place to play,” Peterson said. “They play on a very thin field, and they're also a very committed, hard-working, organized team. It was a game that we dominated. It seemed like every shot that we put on frame was right to the goalkeeper, and nothing bounced off him.”
After the loss, Peterson challenged his players to focus more on the placement of their shots and varying their attack. Since then, South Eugene has averaged 4.6 goals in five matches, up from 2.6 in the first 10 matches.
The Axe has a diverse wave of attackers in de Andraca, Allenbaugh, senior Bay Olson and juniors Trey Ohrtman and Finley Thurman.
“Contrary to other years, we don't just have two major scorers,” Peterson said. “It's spread out, which is one of the things that makes me hopeful.”
Notes from around the state:
Boys
Reigning 6A champion Lakeridge beat host West Linn 1-0 in a 6A Three Rivers League first-place showdown Oct. 22, then clinched its third consecutive league title two days later by defeating Lake Oswego 2-0. Jackson Romero scored in the 45th minute against West Linn. Liam Kutella and Max Harris-Inman struck against Lake Oswego. … Beaverton (12-0-2) finished the regular season with its 12th shutout, blanking Sunset 3-0 on Oct. 24 to tie Jesuit for the 6A Metro League title. Quinn Norby scored twice and Tyler Johnson had a goal in the win. …
Central Catholic is alone in first place in the 6A Mt. Hood Conference on the strength of a 6-1 win at David Douglas on Oct. 22. The Rams, 4-0-2 in conference, play host to Clackamas on Tuesday in the regular-season finale. David Douglas and Barlow, tied for second place at 4-1-1, meet Tuesday at David Douglas. … Dayton defeated Blanchet Catholic 2-1 in overtime on Saturday in a playoff for the top seed in 3A/2A/1A Special District 2. Johnathon Mendez scored twice in the opening three minutes of the first overtime to lead 2-0. Blanchet got a goal from Geovanny Escobar in the first overtime. …
South Umpqua (9-4-1) handed Sutherlin (12-1-2) its first loss of the season Oct. 22, winning 1-0 on a second-half goal by Cohen Elrod. Hunter Myhre had seven saves. … La Salle Prep senior forward Vance Sheffield has been selected to play in the Boys High School All-American game Dec. 14 in Charleston, S.C. … No. 1 Stayton and No. 2 North Marion collide Tuesday in the 4A Oregon West Conference finale. Stayton (12-0, 9-0) has been alone in first place since winning 1-0 at North Marion (12-1, 8-1) on Oct. 10. … Klamath Union and Henley, tied for first place in the 4A Skyline Conference at 5-1-1, play for the title Tuesday at Henley in the last regular season game. Klamath Union defeated the Hornets 2-1 at home Oct. 10.
Girls
Central Catholic took sole possession of first place in the 6A Mt. Hood Conference with a 4-2 home win over David Douglas on Oct. 22, getting two goals each from Katie Berry and Maddie Platt. The Rams, 5-0 in the conference, can claim the title outright Tuesday with a win at Clackamas in the last regular-season game. David Douglas and Barlow, tied for second place at 4-1, meet Tuesday at Barlow. … Sheldon (13-0-2) finished the season unbeaten with a 2-1 win at North Medford on Oct. 24. The Irish fell behind 1-0, but Annika Leighton drilled a penalty kick in the 39th minute and Jaida Easter scored the go-ahead goal in the 60th minute. …
Scappoose clinched the 4A Cowapa League title with a 3-1 home win over second-place Astoria on Oct. 24. Amalie Anderson recorded a hat trick. … In a battle between teams tied for first place in the 4A Oregon West Conference, North Marion won at Philomath 1-0 on Oct. 24. Bethany Dunn converted an assist from Lomeli Marin for the Huskies, who can wrap up the outright conference title Tuesday at home against Stayton. … Klamath Union handed Henley its first loss in the 4A Skyline Conference, winning 2-0 at home Monday. Allie Nelson and Bella Armejo scored in the 46th and 51st minutes, respectively. …
Amity claimed the top seed in 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 by downing Blanchet Catholic 1-0 in a league playoff match Oct. 26 at Dayton. Haley Miersma's goal in the 15th minute was the difference. … Westview's London Tsuma scored all six goals in her team's 6-0 win over Southridge on Oct. 24, giving her 22 goals for the season. … Tigard can put the final touch on the 6A Three Rivers League title with a home win over Oregon City on Tuesday. Tigard (4-0-1 in league) leads West Linn (3-0-2) atop the standings. … The 6A Central Valley Conference title is on the line Tuesday when West Salem (4-0-3) plays at Sprague (5-0-2) in the regular-season finale.
