A little over halfway through her high school soccer career, Marist Catholic junior Libby McLaughlin already holds a distinguished place in the state record book.
McLaughlin became the state's all-time leader in assists Sept. 11 as the top-ranked and reigning 4A champion Spartans blanked No. 4 Philomath 3-0. She recorded two assists in the home match, hiking her career total to 64 and passing Jesuit's Callan Harrington (2016-19), who had 63.
"I love assisting just as much as I do scoring," McLaughlin told the Register-Guard. "I get the same excitement for my teammates. I want to be a selfless player."
McLaughlin had 28 assists as a freshman and 29 as a sophomore, when she was the 4A player of the year. She has tacked on seven assists in four matches this season for the Spartans (3-1).
“It's just her work rate,” Marist Catholic coach Stefan Schroffner said. “Libby is such a force as an attacking striker. It's her ability to press the back line. It's her physicality and relentless, nonstop motor. She's a nightmare to play against because she's going to go the full 80 minutes, no matter what.”
The left-footed McLaughlin scored her third goal of the season against Philomath, No. 54 of her career. She has a chance to finish her career with 100 goals and 100 assists.
“It's going to be tougher and tougher for her to find goals,” Schroffner said, noting how teams stack their defenses against her. “Perhaps with drawing that attention, assists will come a little bit easier. She knows she's going to be double- and triple-teamed, because she's not hiding anywhere anymore.”
As a freshman, McLaughlin played alongside Cloe Chase, who scored 118 career goals, No. 6 on the state's all-time list. After Chase graduated and went on to a college career at Oregon, McLaughlin continued to put up big numbers last season. She has an ability to mesh with her teammates.
"It's amazing. They can count on me and I can count on them," McLaughlin told the Register-Guard. "We all just trust each other. Our chemistry on the field is just amazing. We just know how to put the ball away."
McLaughlin is the catalyst for a Marist Catholic attack that often strikes quickly, putting defenders on their heels.
“When we start going, everyone just goes,” Schroffner said. “It's fun to watch Libby in terms of how she sees the field and how she trusts her teammates to come with her. She can take people 1-v-1, but she understands she has to hold it for her teammates to catch up.”
Marist Catholic graduated five starters from last season, but returned seven players who received all-league honors.
Senior center back Piper Paslay, committed to Seattle Pacific, was 4A first-team selection in 2024. Paslay, defender Gina Schroffner, goalkeeper Emily Meigs and defensive midfielder Sadey Woodrum are fourth-year starters. Junior attacking midfielder Tori Sherman is a third-year starter.
Junior Cruz Donawa and Sherman lead the team in goals with five and, four, respectively.
The Spartans have four freshmen on the roster. Alyssa McManus is starting at center midfield. Kiara Philyaw (daughter of former Oregon and NFL running back Dino Philyaw) and Evie Olds are contributing on the front line.
“I think we're in a great position,” Stefan Schroffner said. “We've got a lot of not just returning players who are better, but a lot of new, young talent.”
Marist Catholic opened the season with a 5-2 win at 3A/2A/1A No. 3 Valley Catholic. The Spartans won 8-2 at 4A No. 6 North Marion on Sept. 9, bouncing back from a 2-1 home loss to 5A No. 3 North Eugene.
North Eugene was the only team to defeat Marist Catholic last year, winning 2-1 at home.
“I love the competition with North Eugene,” Stefan Schroffner said. “To play a top 5A team is exactly what we need.”
The Spartans are home Tuesday to face Oregon Episcopal, ranked fourth in 3A/2A/1A.
Highlights from around the state:
In a rematch of last year's 6A final, reigning champion and top-ranked Jesuit (4-0-1) played to a 0-0 draw against Grant (3-1-1) on its home field Monday. “Both teams worked hard to create openings. Both defenses did a great job defending,” Jesuit coach Steve Fennah said. The result ended a 19-game winning streak for the Crusaders, going back to a 5-1 loss at Grant last season. Jesuit's wins this season include 7-2 over No. 4 Lincoln, 3-0 over No. 5 Central Catholic and 3-1 over 5A co-No. 5 La Salle Prep. Sophomore Eva Hairston leads the Crusaders with seven goals, scoring in every match up until Monday. Fennah now has 320 career wins, closing in on the state record of 324, held by former Catlin Gabel coach Brian Gant (1984-2004). …
No. 1 Wilsonville, the four-time reigning 5A champion, posted a 1-0 home victory over Grant on Sept. 9. Camryn Schaan's penalty kick in the fifth minute was the difference. … Scappoose, ranked No. 2 in 4A, opened with wins over the top two teams in the 3A/2A/1A coaches poll. The Indians beat No. 1 Catlin Gabel 3-2 and No. 2 Banks 2-0. Anya Gula scored twice against Catlin Gabel and once against Banks. … North Eugene improved its record to 3-0 by going on the road to top Marist Catholic 2-1 and 5A No. 2 Summit 2-0. Payton Buschelman had two goals against Marist Catholic. Lauren Efraimson and Camden Dewitt each scored against Summit. …
Beaverton, co-No. 7 in 6A, is off to a 5-0-1 start behind senior twin sisters Olivia Hays (eight goals, three assists) and Lucy Hays (eight goals, six assists). The Beavers extended their winning streak to five Monday as Malin Deckert scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Wells at Providence Park. … Henley, ranked fifth in 4A, has outscored its opponents 12-0 in winning its first three matches. Prestyn Schade and Paityn Modin each have three goals and Lailah Pena has four assists. … Elliette Kinney and Mila Nguyen each had a pair of hat tricks last week for Creswell, No. 8 in 3A/2A/1A. Kinney (six goals, four assists) and Nguyen (six goals, three assists) led 8-0 wins over La Pine and Elmira for the Bulldogs (3-0), who have outscored foes 20-0. …
Mountainside freshman Jada Kirk, who scored her first goal in a 6-0 win at Liberty on Sept. 8, followed up with a hat trick two days later in a 5-1 win at Century. … With 99 career goals, Catlin Gabel senior Addi Dauler is on the brink of becoming the 20th player in state history to reach 100 goals. She also is closing in on the school record of 104, owned by Lisa Ochner (1980-83). Host Catlin Gabel edged 6A West Salem 1-0 on Sept. 9, getting a goal from center back Sammy Wells with 30 seconds left. Wells added two goals as the Eagles won at Rainier 9-1 on Sept. 11. … Eliza Nisley has scored four goals in the last two games for 3A/2A/1A No. 5 Amity, which defeated No. 7 Blanchet Catholic 3-2 and Riverdale/Riverside 4-0. …
Pleasant Hill goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell-Copeland had 16 saves in her team's 0-0 tie with Central on Sept. 11. Billies senior Trinity Smead had four goals in an 8-0 win over Elmira on Sept. 9. … Alivia Gridley lifted Irrigon to two wins. She had two goals to lead the Knights past Four Rivers 5-3 on Friday and recorded a hat trick in a 3-2 victory at Grant Union on Saturday. … Freshman Clara Newman has made a splash for Western Christian (4-1). She scored four goals in a 10-2 win over Sweet Home and three goals in a 4-2 win at Westside Christian. … Sheldon's Kendall Quinney scored two goals, including the game-winner, to lead a 2-1 win at South Medford on Sept. 10. Quinney, the 6A Southwest Conference player of the year last season, picked up two more goals as the Irish turned back visiting Mountain View 4-0 on Sept. 12. … Behind three goals from freshman Jamela Turin, Sandy won at Woodburn 4-1 on Sept. 9.
