HILLSBORO – Two months after suffering a stinging defeat to Grant, Jesuit's proud girls soccer team made amends Saturday night.
The top-seeded Crusaders captured their 16th state championship, taking control early and holding off the reigning champion Generals 2-1 in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A final at Hillsboro Stadium.
Jesuit (19-1) got first-half goals from sophomore Natalie Webber and junior Ana Kubiaczyk, and after No. 2 Grant (17-1-1) drew within a goal in the 72nd minute, the Crusaders closed out their 16th state championship.
The game was a stark contrast from when the teams met Sept. 16 at Grant Bowl, where the Generals routed Jesuit 5-1, the most goals the Crusaders had allowed since a 5-1 loss to Beaverton in 2012.
“We said after that game that no one was going to outwork us, from first whistle to last whistle,” Jesuit junior forward Marian Dunne said. “Grant is such a great team, and I always look forward to playing them. It was such good motivation for us. I'm just so happy we got the result.”
Jesuit improved to 16-2 in state championship games. The Crusaders are 11-0 in the finals under Steve Fennah, whose two stints as coach have covered 20 seasons.
“They're all special, but this one meant a lot,” said Fennah, holding back tears. “It was a hard year, it was a hard game. We had a lot of injuries this year. I feel for the kids who couldn't play.”
Jesuit senior center back Sophia Stiles, who said she was still working her way into shape in the first game after recovering from salmonella, anchored a dominant defensive performance.
“We trained, we worked super hard in practice, to continually get better, just looking forward to a rematch,” Stiles said. “I think it motivated us a lot, just because we all like to compete.”
The Crusaders allowed only three shots by the Generals, who are ranked ninth in the nation by United Soccer Coaches. The back line of Stiles, her freshman sister, Eva Stiles, freshman Ellie Covington and junior Jo Frischknecht stifled Grant's attack.
“They've come together over the season and been fantastic,” Fennah said.
Rutgers-bound Sophia Stiles, a fourth-year starter, drew high praise from Fennah.
“Sophia is the best defender that I've coached in Oregon,” Fennah said. “Rutgers is getting a very, very good player.”
Covington and Frischknecht were essential in playing tight on Grant senior midfielder Tessa Matteri and junior forward Nailani Soloman, according to Fennah.
“That's perhaps the biggest thing we learned form the first game is to get tight on their two wide players, and not allow them to run on us to start with,” Fennah said.
Jesuit got the scoring started in the 16th minute when Webber, stuck in a cluster in front of the goal, was able to direct a corner kick from Kubiaczyk into the back of the net. The goal – the team-leading 21st of season for Webber – set the tone for the match.
“We were definitely all just super excited,” Sophia Stiles said. “I think we've been looking for that goal. I think it just helped us to continue to keep pushing, go for more than one.”
The Crusaders weren't satisfied, adding a second goal in the 26th minute. Dunne dribbled down and centered a pass to Kubiaczyk, who punched the ball into the goal from five yards out. It stunned Grant, which had allowed three goals all season.
The Generals made it interesting, though, when senior Paige Nakada found a hole in the back line and punched the ball into the goal from 10 yards out, drawing them within 2-1 in the 72nd minute.
Playing with renewed energy, Grant nearly the got equalizer two minutes later when senior Kate Ratanaproeksa fired a shot from about 15 yards that was ticketed for the lower left corner of the goal. But senior goalkeeper Zoe Anderson made a sliding save.
“So quickly a game can flip,” Dunne said. “You felt it in the stands, their fan section. I think we got a little frantic. But we just had the calmness with Sophia in the back line. And Zoe had that great save. That could have easily tied the game if she didn't make that.”
The Generals, going for their third title in four seasons, were unable to draw even and suffered their first defeat of the season.
“The first half we came out, we were a step behind,” Grant coach Manolis Tjuanakis said. “We weren't able to put passes together. I think Jesuit was the first to the ball. They had most of the 50-50 balls.
“Second half, we changed a couple things around. … We seemed to be a little more positive. The energy was there. But it's tough to dig yourselves out of a 2-0 hole in a game like this.”
Jesuit finished the season on a 15-game winning streak. The title is even more impressive considering the Crusaders lost three college-bound seniors to injury in forward Claudia Rose (Loyola Marymount) and midfielders Kaitlyn MacLennan (Cal Poly) and Riley Jeffries (Denver).
“On the field, our chemistry has grown so much since the beginning of the year,” said Dunne, who had 20 goals for the season. “In the beginning games, everything was very individual. As our team developed, we realized we are so much stronger together. Chemistry on the field was needed to beat a team like Grant.”
