Sophomore Cal Spear (20) is part of a Beaverton back line that held opponents to one goal this season. (Courtesy Beaverton HS)

Beaverton's 7-0-1 start to the boys soccer season has been so surprising, coach Jason Carney admits it even has caught him off-guard.

The Beavers have put up a brick wall against opponents, outscoring them 22-1, in climbing to No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll. They have improved significantly from 2023, when they finished 6-4-5 in Carney's first season as coach.

But as Beaverton prepares to begin 6A Metro League play Thursday at Southridge, the Beavers are keeping level heads.

“They're pretty humble,” Carney said. “They're not silly, they know they're not the best team in the state. We had a goal at the start of the season to see if we can win Metro, and see what happens after that. So we'll see.”

The team has responded to the guidance of Carney, a native of England and longtime club coach who has been the director of FC Portland since 2019. It is the first high school coaching job for Carney, who was intrigued by the opportunity when the position came open last year, especially after a friend told him his style would not work in prep soccer.

“I thought, 'That's a challenge. I want to see,'” Carney said. “I got in, and I loved it.”

Carney immediately set out to develop a culture of accountability, and after some stumbles last season, it is paying off this year.

“Last year, I gave them a game plan and none of them read it,” Carney said. “I said, 'Stop complaining, you didn't read the plan.' This year when we got together I told them I was going to ask them questions on the game plan. If you're not reading it, you won't play for me.”

All but two starters returned from last season, including senior center back Theo Laufenberg, the team's backbone. Laufenberg, flanked by sophomores Luke Unruh and Cal Spear on the back line, have been outstanding in front of junior goalkeeper Mason Schinderle.

Defense has become a source of pride for the team.

“Even in some games where we're up two, they're still fighting,” Carney said. “They don't want to concede at all. I told them right at the start, 'You always want to score, but clean sheets win you championships.'”

Schinderle “has been absolutely top drawer” in goal, according to the coach.

“He's one of the best I've coached in 30 years,” Carney said.

The Beavers are scoring by committee. Senior Owen Brooks, who moved from defense to forward, and senior attacking midfielder Quinn Norby each have five goals. Junior Gio Ruano-Aguilera has four goals.

The intensity of Brooks is infectious.

“He's just an absolute beast, and he plays with a smile on his face and has fun,” Carney said. “Everyone is just bouncing off him and having a great time.”

Beaverton has three one-goal victories, topping Franklin 1-0, No. 7 McMinnville 2-1 and Reynolds 1-0, and holds a 3-0 victory over 5A No. 5 Wilsonville. The Beavers played unbeaten and sixth-ranked South Eugene to a scoreless draw.

“They're the best team we've played,” Carney said of the Axe.

Spear scored with about 15 minutes left to break a 1-1 tie against McMinnville. Ruano-Aguilera scored in the second half of the 1-0 wins over Reynolds and Franklin.

Carney said he knows the top spot in the coaches poll doesn't carry much weight, but for a snapshot in time, the recognition means something to the team. The team is unburdened by high expectations.

“I try to keep them as grounded as possible because I know we're not the best team in the state,” Carney said. “But I know I've got a group of boys that have big hearts and are great people, and I think you can go far with that.”

Lakeridge boys win top-five showdowns

Reigning 6A boys champion Lakeridge ran its winning streak to six with three victories last week, beating two top-five teams in nonleague games.

The No. 2 Pacers dropped No. 3 Jesuit at home Sept. 23, getting goals from sophomores Pablo Spilk and Liam Kutella and junior Sarp Erdem.

After a 10-2 road win over Benson on Sept. 24, Lakeridge edged No. 5 Sherwood 2-1 at home Sept. 26. Junior Xavi Sandino-Taylor scored both goals for the Pacers against Sherwood.

Double duty

Illinois Valley senior Servando Vargas had a busy day Sept. 27.

First, Vargas scored five goals in a 9-1 home win over Lakeview/Paisley. Then he went to the football field and made all five extra-point attempts and kicked five touchbacks as the Cougars defeated Jefferson 59-6.

Summit girls top rival

Summit's girls got a leg up in their crosstown rivalry with Caldera with a 1-0 road win over the Wolfpack on Sept. 25.

Senior midfielder Ava Simone scored in the 37^th minute, and the No. 10 Storm (2-2-2, 1-0) held on to beat No. 4 Caldera (4-2, 0-1) in a the 5A Intermountain Conference opener for both teams.

Last year, Caldera rallied to defeat Summit 2-1 to win its first-ever conference title. In 2022, Summit won the conference with a 2-1 victory that spoiled Caldera's undefeated season.

“It is a battle the entire game,” Simone told the Bend Bulletin. “It’s high intensity, and there are a lot of nerves going into it. And when we are up we want to keep the win, we don’t want to try and do too much, we want to keep battling hard. But we are so tired because we are giving it everything we can. So it is a long game.”

Eagles flex in SD1

Catlin Gabel's girls, ranked No. 1 in 3A/2A/1A, moved to the top of hotly contested Special District 1 with three big wins in a seven-day span.

The Eagles defeated co-No. 5 Oregon Episcopal 3-2 on Sept. 20, topped No. 2 Banks 3-1 on Sept. 24 and edged Oregon Episcopal 2-1 on Sept. 27.

Catlin Gabel has won five in a row since losing to 5A No. 1 Canby 3-2 on Sept. 13. The Eagles are 8-1 overall, 3-0 in SD1.

In the Sept. 20 home win over Oregon Episcopal, junior Ella Bulkley scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with less than five minutes left. Sophomore Alana Hill had the other goal.

Junior Addi Dauler found the net twice and Hill added a goal in the home win over Banks. Bulkley and Hill converted Sept. 27 at Oregon Episcopal, with Bulkley's goal breaking a tie with three minutes to go.

Other highlights:

Boys

No. 1 Catlin Gabel won at No. 2 Oregon Episcopal 1-0 in a 3A/2A/1A Special District 1 showdown Sept. 27, one week after beating OES 3-0 at home. Finn Hough, Charlie Nemecek and Giancarlo Rendon Benitez scored in the wins. The Eagles (9-0-1, 3-0-1) remained unbeaten with a 4-1 victory over No. 5 Riverdale on Monday at Lewis & Clark College. … No. 6 South Eugene posted a pair of 1-0 wins last week. The Axe defeated visiting West Linn on a goal by Tomas de Andraca and went on the road to beat South Medford, getting a goal from Scott Twyman. … No. 3 Jesuit won at No. 8 Grant 2-1 on Sept. 26. … 4A No. 3 The Dalles suffered its first two losses of the season, losing at home to co-No. 5 Crook County 3-2 on Sept. 24 and falling at No. 8 Madras 3-2 on Sept. 26. … 5A No. 1 Crescent Valley plays at No. 4 West Albany in a key Mid-Willamette Conference match Tuesday.

Girls

Wilsonville, the three-time reigning 5A champion, ended a three game losing streak with a 3-0 win over Hillsboro on Sept. 26. The Wildcats had lost to three 6A teams in a row – West Linn, Oregon City and Beaverton. They play host to No. 1 Canby in a pivotal Northwest Oregon Conference match Thursday. … Unranked Henley won at No. 4 Hidden Valley 2-1 on Monday in a 4A Skyline Conference match. … Valley Catholic, ranked third in 3A/2A/1A, recorded a 3-0 home win over 4A No. 2 North Marion on Sept. 23. … No. 4 St. Mary's (7-0) of Medford and Four Rivers (6-0) – 3A/2A/1A programs – have dominated their competition so far, outscoring opponents 47-0 and 39-1, respectively. … 6A No. 5 Sheldon will try strengthen its grip on first place in the Southwest Conference when it plays host to second-place North Medford on Tuesday. The Irish are 5-0 in the SWC, and the Black Tornado are 4-1. … No. 3 West Linn visits No. 4 Central Catholic on Tuesday in a 6A nonleague match. … Jefferson senior Charisma Johnson, playing on JV because the 6A Democrats don't have a varsity team, has been dominant with 36 goals in eight matches.