HILLSBORO – The Catlin Gabel boys soccer team just kept on knocking.
But, for the longest time, there was no answer.
That all changed when the Eagles, and senior Leon Liu, just kicked the door in.
Catlin Gabel, with Liu scoring off an assist from junior Levi Whalen-Stewart in the 52nd minute, came away with a 1-0 win over Oregon Episcopal in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 3A/2A/1A final Saturday at Liberty High School.
“Oh my, this is everything,” Liu said after the victory. “This is my final season, and those final minutes felt longer than ever. But I’m so proud of everything we’ve done this season. We went undefeated, but, without this win, it wouldn’t have felt like anything.”
“This means a lot,” Whalen-Stewart said. “Getting knocked out in the quarters, and then the semis the previous two years, and then winning the finals really means a lot.”
With the victory, Catlin Gabel, led by head coach Peter Shulman, finished the season at 17-0-1, and claimed its 15th state title, and first since 2021.
“Every single person out on the field competed as hard as they could today, and I couldn’t be more proud,” Whalen-Stewart said.
Oregon Episcopal School finished its season at 15-3.
“We gave it our best. They’re a good team. We battled hard. It’s not the result you want, but it’s what we got,” Aardvarks senior goalkeeper Ben Korngold said. “This team, we’ve been through the ups and downs, and it was an incredible journey to get here. And, with so many returners next year, watch out.”
Catlin Gabel, in the first half of the contest, had eight shots, including three shots on goal. But, with Korngold making an impressive diving save on one of those attempts, and with the OES defense stepping up, the Eagles found themselves in a 0-0 tie at the intermission. But that didn’t seem to bother them.
“Props to our team. Our mentality was great,” Liu said. “We kept knocking, and even though the chances didn’t turn out to be goals, we knew we were dominating. Props to our team for keep knocking on the door.”
That persistence paid off in the second half. In the 52nd minute of play, Whalen-Stewart was driving with the ball toward the OES goal, when he made a heads-up decision.
“I was going to lace a shot, but someone stepped in front, so I went right,” he said. “I saw Leon on the back post, so I slid it across and he made an excellent finish. It felt amazing. The fans went wild. We had great support out here today.”
“On the cross, I had to expect it to somehow land on my feet,” Liu said of the scoring play. “I kind of just poked it in, wrapped my foot around it, and glad it went in the goal. The second it went off my foot, I knew it was the right moment, at the right time with the right speed. All the emotions hit me at once. I don’t even know how to describe it.”
The Catlin Gabel defense, including junior August Walrod, senior Riley Nordhoff, senior Caleb Reznick and senior Anderson Skarstadt, made the 1-0 lead hold, not allowing a shot on goal in the contest.
The Aardvarks last scoring chance came on a free-kick attempt by junior Ryder Sendecke from 23 yards out, coming in the 67th minute, but his shot sailed over the crossbar of the Catlin Gabel goal.
Soon after, the Eagles were celebrating their state championship.
“The boys right here, they deserve this,” Whalen-Stewart said.
“Oh my, we actually did it, and I can’t think of a better way to end our season,” Liu said.
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