The last two seasons have played out similarly for Sheldon's girls soccer team.
The Irish have dominated the Southwest Conference, but their playoff runs were cut short in the 6A quarterfinals, losing to Tualatin 3-0 in 2022 and eventual champion Grant 2-0 last year.
This season represents another chance for Sheldon, which has clinched the Southwest Conference title. And with all but one starter back from last year, the veteran Irish (12-0-1, 10-0) are on a mission.
“Everybody was pretty bummed out about the loss to Grant,” said coach Phil Larsen, who guided the Irish to big-school state titles in 2003 and 2004. “I think we all felt we could have and should have done better. That's been a motivator for these girls, especially through the offseason. A lot of them play club together. They came into the season with the mindset of, 'We want more.'”
Sheldon, No. 5 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll, has outscored its foes 38-7. But the Irish are a bit of an unknown quantity considering the only team they have played that is currently ranked in the coaches poll is No. 10 North Medford, their conference rival. They defeated the Black Tornado 3-2 at home on Oct. 1 and will play them again on the road in the regular-season finale Thursday.
“North Medford will be a really good test for us to finish it out,” Larsen said.
Sheldon entered the season with high expectations. The Irish suffered a blow in preseason practices, though, when senior forward Lexi Cockerill-Gonzalez – the 2022 conference player of the year and a University of Oregon commit – suffered a season-ending torn ACL.
“It was definitely disappointing,” Larsen said. “She really wanted to put the team on her shoulders and see what we could do. The nice thing about this team is I feel like we're fairly deep at our positions. My problem coming into this year was how do I put 15 kids on the field at the same time.”
Sophomore forward Dani Haverland has helped fill the void with a team-high 13 goals.
“She's definitely making her mark,” Larsen said. “For quite a majority of it, she's coming off the bench. She changes the dynamic for us a little bit. She's speedy, she's aggressive.
“She's gotten faster and quicker, and she's settled down a little bit more. She's not taking as many low-percentage chances as she did last year. She's able to be more composed and finish.”
Junior midfielder Kendall Quinney (seven goals), junior forward Annika Leighton (six goals) and senior forward Jaida Easter (five goals) also are providing scoring punch.
Senior goalkeeper Addison Dye-Blondell, committed to Gonzaga, is a force behind a versatile back line that features senior Melia Markel. Senior Charlotte Vandercar and junior Ryah Larsen anchor the midfield.
With five one-goal victories, the Irish have shown that they can win close matches. They also have shown grit in coming from behind to beat South Eugene, Willamette, North Medford and South Medford. Their tie was a scoreless draw at 5A Mountain View.
“It certainly has given me a lot of gray hairs,” Larsen said. “The term we've been using is resilience. Some games we play well, but we make a silly mistake and go down. But we've been able to respond and come back. A lot of stressful moments, but it's given us a lot of confidence knowing that we can go down and not panic.”
Sheffield rises on list
With 17 goals this season, La Salle Prep senior Vance Sheffield has climbed into a tie for second place on the state's all-time scoring list.
Sheffield has 85 career goals, drawing even with Pleasant Hill's Adrian Arellano (2019-22). The all-time leader is McLoughlin's Angel Castillo, who put up 106 before his career ended last year.
Roster turnover has forced Sheffield, who had 32 goals and 10 assists last year, to change his approach this season. In the past, Sheffield scored many of his goals on headers off crosses – “That's kind of been his superpower,” coach Monty Hawkins said – but those crosses aren't as plentiful this season.
“He really isn't finding himself getting on the end of that type of service,” Hawkins said. “He is now in the box, and he's really sharpened up his finishing skills. He can pull the trigger quickly in the box, and his placement has been really good. This year he's finishing a lot more with his feet, and he's doing it at pace.”
For the second year in a row, Sheffield is pulling double-duty as the kicker for the football team. He has converted 16 of 17 extra-point attempts, the only miss coming on a bad snap. He is 3 of 6 on field-goal attempts, including a 36-yarder. Two of the misses were blocked.
Seven of his 26 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks. In his first season as punter, he is averaging 38.2 yards on 19 punts, including a long of 51 yards and five inside the 20-yard line.
Other highlights:
Girls
No. 2 Valley Catholic leads 3A/2A/1A Special District 1 after beating No. 1 Catlin Gabel 1-0 at home Oct. 17. Maddy Groshong scored in the 18th minute for the Valiants, who are 6-0-1 in the district, leading Catlin Gabel (6-1) and No. 4 Oregon Episcopal (6-1-1). … No. 1 Grant stands alone in first place in the 6A Portland Interscholastic League after a 2-0 win at No. 4 Lincoln on Oct. 15. Brooke Wesener and Nailani Solomon scored for the Generals, who are 5-0 in league play, ahead of Lincoln and Cleveland, both 3-1. Grant plays at Cleveland on Tuesday in a rematch of last year's state final, won by the Generals 3-2. …
No. 7 Tigard and No. 6 West Linn are tied for first place in the 6A Three Rivers League after drawing 1-1 at West Linn on Oct. 16. … No. 4 Caldera avenged its only loss in the 5A Intermountain Conference by winning at No. 6 Summit 1-0 on Oct. 15, behind a goal from Kylee Jerome in the 26th minute. Summit, which won at Caldera 1-0 on Sept. 25, is 6-1 in the conference. Caldera is 4-1-2. … Goals by Piper Pasley and Ella Shepard gave No. 1 Marist Catholic a 2-0 road win over North Bend on Oct. 15. The Spartans improved their record in the 4A Sky-Em League to 6-0, dropping second-place North Bend to 4-2. …
First place in the 5A Mid-Willamette Conference is on the line Tuesday when No. 7 Silverton visits Crescent Valley. … No. 4 North Marion goes to No. 6 Philomath on Thursday in a match that could decide the 4A Oregon West Conference title. … No. 3 Central Catholic plays host to David Douglas on Tuesday in a match between teams tied for first place in the 6A Mt. Hood Conference.
Boys
No. 2 Beaverton and No. 3 Jesuit, tied for first place in the 6A Metro League, played to a 1-1 draw on the Beavers' field Oct. 17. Jesuit's Kian Stone scored in the 70th minute, but Beaverton got the equalizer with three minutes left on a goal by Tyler Johnson. … No. 5 La Salle Prep gained the upper hand in the 5A Northwest Oregon Conference with a 1-0 home win over No. 4 Wilsonville on Oct. 17, getting a goal from River Nichols in the 51st minute. …No. 3 Woodburn took sole possession of first place in the 5A Mid-Willamette Conference by topping No. 2 Crescent Valley 1-0 at home Oct. 15. Israel Perez scored in the 78th minute. …
No. 3 Crook County got payback for its only loss of the season Monday by winning 3-1 at home over No. 7 Madras in a 4A Tri-Valley Conference match. The Cowboys lost at Madras 2-1 on Oct. 3. … Visiting Astoria handed Tillamook its first loss in the 4A Cowapa League, winning 2-1 on Oct. 17. Orrick Evans scored in the first half and the visiting Fishermen scored in the second half on an own-goal. … Armando Legorreta had a hat trick as No. 6 Cottage Grove won 3-0 at home over No. 9 Marist Catholic on Oct. 17. It was Marist Catholic's first loss in the 4A Sky-Em League. …Ryder Sendecke scored in the 70th minute as No. 2 Oregon Episcopal went on the road to defeat No. 3 Westside Christian 1-0 in a 3A/2A/1A Special District 1 match Oct. 16. …
No. 4 McMinnville goes to No. 6 Sherwood on Wednesday in a key 6A Pacific Conference match. McMinnville is 4-0 and Sherwood is 3-0-1 in conference play. … Central Catholic goes to David Douglas on Tuesday and Sandy on Thursday. The Rams are tied with David Douglas and Sandy for first place in the 6A Mt. Hood Conference at 3-0-1. … No. 1 Lakeridge and No. 9 West Linn, tied for first place in the 6A Three Rivers League, meet Tuesday at West Linn.
jerryu@osaa.org
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