As dominant as Marist Catholic's girls soccer team was last season -- when it went 18-1 and won the 4A title -- the No. 1 Spartans may have found another gear this season.
Led by Oregon-bound Cloe Chase, the only senior on the roster, Marist Catholic is 13-0 and has outscored its opponents 80-6. The Spartans, ranked No. 11 in Region VI by United Soccer Coaches, extended their winning streak to 29 on Monday with a 10-0 win at Marshfield in a Sky-Em League match.
Have they improved on last season, when they outscored their foes 85-5, including 11-0 in four playoff matches?
“I'm actually asking myself the same question,” coach Stefan Schroffner said. “A lot of returning players really pushed themselves to get better. So a lot of them are better players.”
Marist Catholic lost two elite players from last year in forward Sela Freeman (32 goals, 18 assists) – the 4A player of the year who now plays at University of Colorado Colorado Springs – and first-team all-state defender Paige Meador. But the Spartans brought back starters at eight positions, seven who earned all-league honors, and also maintained their competitive edge.
“They have that same hunger and determined character,” Schroffner said.
It all starts with Chase. Coming off a junior season in which she collected 27 goals and eight assists in 16 games, she has produced 40 goals and 16 assists through 13 games.
“She's an even better player this season, and she was unbelievable last season,” Schroffner said. “She's not just racking up goals, she's serving them up to her teammates.”
The 5-foot-9 Chase has elite speed, quickness and stamina. She also is outstanding in the air, heading home eight goals.
“Her vertical leap is the highest I've ever seen in a girls soccer player,” Schroffner said. “She can jump higher than the arms of the goalkeeper. My biggest concern is that her head might hit the crossbar.”
Chase's burst of speed and technical skill overwhelm opponents.
“She has that rare talent to be able to dribble the ball faster than anyone can run,” Schroffner said. “She can shoot from 30 yards away with either foot. She has incredible soccer IQ and vision. She can score so many different ways.”
Freshman Libby McLaughlin has excelled as Freeman's replacement at holding center striker, recording 20 goals and 18 assists. She has developed chemistry up front with Chase.
“They were kind of figuring each other out when the season started,” Schroffner said. “Libby has incredible speed and pace. She's so relentless. She's definitely something special, very similar to how Cloe was as a freshman.”
Junior Ella Braunger has assumed Meador's role as a defensive holding midfielder. Her ability to regain and maintain possession and neutralize the opponent's best player has been integral to the Spartans' success.
“Ella's got to be the best defensive midfielder in the state,” Schroffner said. “When I play in the practice scrimmages, she's a nightmare to play against.”
Sophomore Piper Paslay anchors a speedy back line that also features sophomores Sadey Woodrum and Gina Schroffner and juniors Emma Hart and Kate Firth. Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Meigs has recorded six consecutive shutouts.
The Spartans have trailed in only one game this season, falling behind Thurston 1-0 before winning 7-2. In their closest matches, they defeated No. 4 Philomath 3-2 at home Aug. 31 and won at No. 2 North Marion 2-1 on Sept. 12. They were tied with North Marion 1-1 before junior Mattie Andrus scored the winning goal midway through the second half.
“I'm glad we had that challenge,” Stefan Schroffner said. “We need those competitive games to really harden us up and get us mentally tough.”
Marist Catholic will play host to Catlin Gabel (11-1-1), ranked No. 2 in the 3A/2A/1A, in the final regular-season game Oct. 24.
Highlights from the past week:
Girls
Jesuit wrapped up the 6A Metro League title by defeating Mountainside 3-0 on Thursday and Beaverton 9-3 on Monday. With first place on the line against Mountainside, Sophia Stiles scored twice and Claudia Rose had a goal for the Crusaders (14-0). … North Eugene and Crater played to a 1-1 draw in a key 5A Midwestern League match Friday. Ella Heppner got the equalizer in the second half for Crater, which survived a 29-shot onslaught. … North Valley and Sutherlin, the top two teams in 3A/2A/1A Special District 4, played to a 1-1 draw Thursday. North Valley's Isabelle Schwen scored in the eighth minute and Sutherlin's Paige Edmonson converted a penalty kick in the 54th minute. …
Edmonson had a hat trick as Sutherlin defeated Brookings-Harbor in its regular-season finale Monday, giving Edmonson 38 goals for the season and 114 for her career. … Mairin Kelly helped Lake Oswego stay in first place in the Three Rivers League by scoring six goals as the Lakers defeated Tualatin 7-0 and Tigard 1-0. … Tori Vera scored all of Gladstone's goals in a 6-0 win over Madras on Thursday. She also had the team's only goal in a 3-1 loss at Molalla two days earlier. … Frances Reuland rang up five goals for Lincoln in beating Roosevelt 7-0 on Oct. 9. … North Marion's Caile Lader set a school record with her 36th career assist in an 8-0 win over Stayton on Thursday.
Boys
Westside Christian bolstered its chances for the 3A/2A/1A Special District 1 title by rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat first-place Valley Catholic on Oct. 10. Adrian Vidican scored two goals in the second half to make it 3-3, and Brady Housley found the net off an assist from Jackson Trautman with less than five minutes left for a 4-3 lead. Westside Christian can claim first place with a win at Oregon Episcopal in the final regular-season match Tuesday. … McLoughlin clinched the 3A/2A/1A Special District 6 title Saturday with a 5-0 home win over second-place Riverside. Almikar Garcia and Geovanny Sandoval each scored twice and Angel Castillo added a goal for the Pioneers (13-0-1). …
First-place Willamette and second-place South Medford tied 3-3 in a high-stakes 6A Southwest Conference match Friday in Eugene. The Wolverines, whose only conference loss was 4-1 at South Medford, got a tying goal from Carlos Ariel De Dios Cruz in the 76th minute after the Panthers took the lead on a goal by Kyle Denn in the 73rd minute. It was the second consecutive tie for Willamette, which played South Eugene to a 1-1 draw two days earlier. … Centennial's Mario Jauregui has scored in four consecutive matches. He had a hat trick with an assist in a 5-0 win over Canby on Wednesday in a game the team dedicated to the family of coach Todd Saks, whose wife passed away. … David Douglas tightened its grip on first place in the Mt. Hood Conference by beating second-place Reynolds 3-1 on Wednesday, getting two goals from Jesus Ventura and one from Victor Seraya. ...
South Umpqua freshman Braxton Hamilton had five goals and two assists as the Lancers dropped Glide and Cascade Christian in its last two games. … Central Linn's Coen Schneiter hiked his season goal total to 22 by scoring five times in the last two games, a 3-3 tie with Siuslaw and an 8-3 loss to Sisters. He has five hat tricks. … Connor Talty helped Illinois Valley break a four-game losing streak by contributing four goals and two assists in a 6-4 win over Lakeview on Friday. … Crook County's Jaycob Miller scored the lone goal in a 1-1 tie with The Dalles on Oct. 9 and had a hat trick in a 3-2 win over Molalla on Thursday. … Layne Worrell had hat tricks in the last two games for Henley. The Hornets beat Hidden Valley 4-1 and Mazama 7-0.
jerryu@osaa.org
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