Midfielder David Ramirez is one of the key returning players from Stayton's runner-up team last year. (NW Sports Photography)

As the 4A runner-up in three of the last four seasons, Stayton’s boys soccer team has built-in state-championship expectations.

But even the Eagles were shaken when Woodburn – winner of five 5A titles since 2010, including the last two -- was ticketed to join the 4A Oregon West Conference this season.

“I thought the only obstacle would be Woodburn,” Stayton coach Chris Shields.

As it turned out, the Eagles were the only team to win a match during the regular season against Woodburn, which outscored its opponents 83-4. Stayton split its two Oregon West matches against the Bulldogs and would have shared the conference title with them if it hadn’t tripped up and lost to fifth-place Cascade 1-0 in its last game.

Now the fifth-seeded Eagles (11-2), who play host to Seaside (9-5) in a 4A first-round match Tuesday, can turn their attention toward making another playoff run. Third-seeded Woodburn (13-1) sits on the other side of the bracket.

“We had a good second half of the year, except for that Cascade game, which at the end of the day, it might have been a blessing because it puts us where we’re not playing Woodburn until later on in the tournament,” Shields said.

“Nothing would make me happier than to get to the final to see Woodburn again. That kind of cements the idea of where the best soccer in the state is played, at least at this level.”

Stayton brought back all but four players from last year’s team, which went 16-0 before losing to conference rival Newport 2-1 in the state final. Among the returning players is senior forward Kevin Hernandez, the 2017 4A player of the year.

The Eagles rolled through their first four matches before falling 5-1 at Woodburn on Sept. 13. They were tied 0-0 at half and were down only 2-1 in the last 10 minutes before “we just ran out of gas,” according to Shields.

Hernandez and the team’s best defensive midfielder, sophomore Jair Navarro, suffered knee injuries in a 6-0 home win over Cascade on Sept. 24 and did not play in the rematch with Woodburn at home Oct. 10. Stayton beat the Bulldogs 1-0.

What did it take to bring down Woodburn?

“To play them at our place,” Shields said. “Their field is massive and it plays into their style. They very much play a possessive game, stretching you out, getting the ball on the wings, putting the ball in the box. They can do that very, very well at their place, but you get them on a smaller field and you sort of take away some of those options. They become pretty vulnerable.”

Despite missing four matches, Hernandez leads the team with 14 goals. Freshman forward Jayden Esparza has 10 goals.

“It’s a good one-two punch,” Shields said.

Junior midfielder David Ramirez, senior defender Jose Navarro and junior goalkeeper Ivan Pelayo also are having solid seasons. The Eagles have injected some youth into their lineup, too, starting Esparza along with four sophomores.

“There’s some skill, but they’re also a little naïve,” Shields said. “They play hard and let the cards fall where they fall.”

Stayton has appeared in four state finals in the last eight years, winning its only title in 2010. The championship losses have stung, but don’t take away from the team’s overall success.

“To be playing on the final day of the year is reward in itself,” Shields said. “Last year, we should have beaten Newport. We had already beaten them twice. They were sitting on 12 seniors, and they just played better than we did in the final. The reality is I feel like we get the most out of these guys. In the end, sometimes there are better teams.”