Everything seemed to be falling into place for Marist Catholic to repeat as 4A girls soccer champion last year.
Behind star striker Cloe Chase (52 goals), the Spartans were an offensive juggernaut, scoring a 4A-high 104 goals. But their unbeaten season came crashing down in the state final, where they lost in a penalty-kick shootout to North Marion.
“It was an emotional blow. We had such a great season,” coach Stefan Schroffner said.
The good news for Marist Catholic was that every player was eligible to return in 2024. The bad news was that the one player was Chase, who moved on to a college career at Oregon after scoring 118 career goals.
“Everyone knew it was going to be a big deal upon her graduation,” Schroffner said. “How are we going to get goals? What's our attack going to look like.”
Marist Catholic has reinvented its attack and has continued its dominance. The top-seeded Spartans (16-1-1) have made it back to the state final, where they will play No. 2 La Grande (14-1-1) on Saturday at Liberty High School.
“It's a great feeling with the returning players, knowing even without Cloe, we can do this again, we can get back to the final game,” Schroffner said. “Let's make sure we can take care of business.”
Marist Catholic's scoring has dropped to 78 goals this season, but it is more balanced, with seven players scoring at least five goals. Sophomore Libby McLaughlin leads the team with 21 goals and 28 assists. Senior midfielders Ella Braunger and Ella Shepherd have 12 and 11 goals, respectively.
Instead of punching the ball ahead to Chase and letting her use her elite speed and skill to break through the back line, the Spartans are attacking primarily from the wings. None of their goals have come on vertical breakaways. Most are on crosses and scrambles.
“We've got scorers that are coming from all angles,” Schroffner said. “We're very strong in the air as a heading team.”
McLaughlin's ability to pinpoint crosses and corner kicks is at the heart of the team's success.
“She's incredibly effective running to the wing,” Schroffner said. “She's our No. 1 center striker, but she makes these runs to the corner, and she can cross them in. We have kind of a tactic to get on the end of those.”
Many of Chase's goals last year came on crosses from McLaughlin. With Chase now playing for the Ducks, McLaughlin is plying much of what she learned from her.
“She really helped Libby grow into that role,” Schroffner said.
Braunger and Shepherd are a potent combination in the midfield. Braunger, who has signed with Benedictine College in Kansas, has thrived in her role after moving from a defensive midfielder to an attacking midfielder. The 5-foot-10 Shepherd, a transfer from South Eugene, is strong in the air and is a threat to score with both feet.
The Spartans have given up only nine goals all season. Goalkeeper Emily Meigs, a 5-11 junior, was the starter on the state championship team as a freshman. Junior Piper Paslay leads the defense at right center back. Senior Kate Firth is a track standout.
“Nobody's going to get past our back line,” Schroffner said. “Our back line is probably the fastest in the state. We've got track stars back there.”
A look at Saturday's finals:
Girls
6A – Hillsboro Stadium, 3:30 p.m.
No. 2 Grant (17-0-1) vs. No. 1 Jesuit (18-1): Reigning champion Grant goes for its third title in four seasons, this time against perennial power Jesuit, a team it defeated 5-1 at home Sept. 16. The Generals, ranked No. 9 in the nation by United Soccer Coaches, have outscored their foes 69-3. They feature the Portland Interscholastic League player of the year in junior F Nailani Soloman (17 goals) and senior D Paige Nakada (nine goals, 13 assists). Grant coach Manolis Tjuanakis will be the West coach in the High School All-American game Dec. 13 in Charlotte, N.C., where Nakada will be on the roster. Jesuit, the 2022 champion, has been on a mission after losing in the quarterfinals last year. The Crusaders have 15 titles (second to Catlin Gabel's 16) in 17 finals appearances. Senior F Natalie Webber and junior F Marian Dunne have 20 goals each. Junior MF Jo Frischknecht has 14 assists. Jesuit has dominated despite losing two college-bound seniors to injury in F Claudia Rose (Loyola Marymount) and MF Kaitlyn MacLennan (Cal Poly). Senior GK Zoe Anderson (Arkansas) is among the team's six seniors committed to college programs.
5A – Hillsboro Stadium, 1 p.m.
No. 7 Bend (12-4-1) vs. No. 5 Wilsonville (13-5): Three-time reigning state champion Wilsonville had a rough start to the season – dropping four of its first seven matches, all to 6A teams – but has found its stride since midseason. The Wildcats' only loss to a 5A team was 1-0 against top-seeded Canby in a Northwest Oregon Conference match. Junior forward Camryn Schaan, who leads the team in goals (19) and assists (12), had a goal and an assist in each of the last two state finals. Bend finished third in the Intermountain Conference but has been clutch in the playoffs, beating La Salle Prep in overtime, North Eugene on penalty kicks and Caldera on a goal in the 74th minute. Sophomore MF Shea Manfredi leads the team in goals (19) and assists (six). Manfredi and sophomore MF Piper Abrams were IMC first-team picks. Bend won titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009 but has not appeared in a final since 2014.
4A – Liberty HS, 6 p.m.
No. 2 La Grande (14-1-1) vs. No. 1 Marist Catholic (16-1-1): Marist Catholic, last year's runner-up, appeared headed for a finals rematch with North Marion, but La Grande knocked off the Huskies 1-0 in the semifinals. The Tigers, eliminated in the first round last year, have lost only to undefeated Fruitland (Idaho). They enter on a 12-match winning streak. Junior F Rowan Evans (26 goals, 10 assists) was the Greater Oregon League MVP. Senior F Paige Allen (17 goals) and senior GK Lyndie Isaacson (0.27 goals against average) are among the team's five first-team all-league picks. La Grande has appeared in one final, losing in 2013. Marist Catholic is 1-6 in state championship games, its only title coming in 2022. The Spartans lost to North Marion on penalty kicks last year. They graduated star F Cloe Chase (52 goals in 2023) but returned everyone else. Sophomore F Libby McLaughlin (21 goals, 28 assists) is the Sky-Em League player of the year. Junior GK Emily Meigs is a third-year starter. The Spartans are 51-3-2 in the last three seasons. Their only loss this year is against 5A North Eugene.
3A/2A/1A – Liberty HS, 1 p.m.
No. 2 Catlin Gabel (15-2-1) vs. No. 1 Central Linn/East Linn Christian (16-0-1): Catlin Gabel, which has won a state-leading 16 titles in 24 finals, takes on the Cobras, who are playing in their first state championship game. The Eagles made the last eight finals, winning in 2019, 2021 and 2023. They finished runner-up to Valley Catholic in Special District 1 but defeated the Valiants 1-0 in the semifinals, avenging their only loss to a 3A/2A/1A team. Catlin Gabel is led by junior F Addi Dauler (37 goals, 15 assists) and sophomore MF Alana Hill (14 goals, 15 assists), the district player of the year. Central Linn's attack features sophomore F Avery Runyon (22 goals) and junior MF Jayne Neal (13 assists). Runyon and Neal were SD3 first-team picks, along with junior D Addie Wolff, the district player of the year. It is the seventh varsity season for Central Linn's program, which played co-ed in 2018 and 2020. The team's tie was against Creswell.
Boys
6A – Hillsboro Stadium, 6 p.m.:
No. 4 McMinnville (15-2-1) vs. No. 3 Jesuit (15-2-1): Jesuit, which has won a record 16 state championships in 21 finals, seeks redemption from last year, when the Crusaders nearly repeated but lost to Lakeridge 3-2 in overtime in the title game. Jesuit's two losses were 4-1 at 5A finalist Summit and 3-0 at Lakeridge. The Crusaders are getting a big year from sophomore M Vala Saghafi, a transfer from 5A La Salle Prep who has 29 goals and 15 assists, earning Metro League player of the year honors. Senior F Diego Nieves (10 goals, 10 assists) and junior D Henry Vanderhoff also made the Metro first team. It is the third final for McMinnville, which defeated Jesut in penalty kicks in 2006 and lost to Lakeridge in 2016. Sophomore MF Edwin Cuevas-George (27 goals, seven assists) is the Pacific Conference player of the year, joined on the first team by senior F Danny Reynaga (seven goals). Junior F Jose Farias (11 goals, 7 assists) scored both goals in a 2-1 semifinal win over Grant. McMinnville's only setbacks were 2-1 losses to Beaverton and Franklin.
5A – Hillsboro Stadium, 10:30 a.m.
No. 2 La Salle Prep (12-5-1) vs. No. 1 Summit (15-2-1): Summit beat the Falcons 2-1 in the semifinals last year on its way to the state championship. It is the third final in four seasons for the Storm, who won the 6A title in 2021. Summit made it back despite losing 11 seniors from last year's team. The Storm has the Intermountain Conference co-player of the year in senior D Gabe Lachman (16 goals, five assists) and a first-team selection in senior MF Kaden Roskowski (16 goals, 14 assists). Senior GK Lucas Carter has recorded 11 shutouts. La Salle Prep, the state champion in 2019 and 2021, is playing in its fourth final in six seasons. The Falcons have a dynamic scorer in senior F Vance Sheffield (29 goals), who has 101 career goals, No. 2 on the state's all-time list. Sheffield, the 5A player of the year in 2023, is the Northwest Oregon Conference player of the year this season. Senior MF Quentin Torbert (nine goals), senior GK Adam Clem and senior D Conor Garvey also made the NWOC first team.
4A – Liberty HS, 3:30 p.m.
No. 4 Henley (13-2-2) vs. No. 2 North Marion (15-2): Henley earned its spot in the final by stunning top-seeded Stayton 2-1 in the semifinals, foiling an all-Oregon West Conference final between Stayton and North Marion. The Hornets, co-champions in 1989 and 1990, have not played in the final since 2013. Henley junior F Layne Worrell (15 goals, eight assists) was the Skyline Conference player of the year. Junior MF Michael Ruelas (seven goals) and senior MF Brian Leon (six goals) joined him on the first team. Last year, North Marion defeated top-seeded Henley 3-2 in the quarterfinals. In that game, the Huskies overcame a 2-0 first-half deficit to prevail in a penalty-kick shootout 8-7, getting a game-winning save from Cole Laninga. North Marion's only two losses this season are to Stayton. Sophomore F Juruen Delgado (19 goals, five assists) has scored in every playoff match. Delgado, senior MF Josue Lomeli Marin (10 goals, nine assists), sophomore F Damien Vallejo (11 goals) and senior D Jahir Delgado made the Oregon West first team. The Huskies have played in two finals, winning in 2014 and losing in 2018.
3A/2A/1A – Liberty HS, 10:30 a.m.
No. 2 Oregon Episcopal (15-2) vs. No. 1 Catlin Gabel (16-0-1): The Special District 1 rivals have met in the final four times, with Oregon Episcopal winning in 2006 and 2009 and Catlin Gabel prevailing in 2018 and 2019. Catlin Gabel has 14 titles, most recently in 2021. Oregon Episcopal won its seventh title in 2022. The Eagles won both meetings this season, defeating Oregon Episcopal 3-0 and 1-0 in late September. The only blemish on Catlin Gabel's record this season is a 1-1 tie against Westside Christian. Junior Papa Diallo (15 goals), sophomore Giancarlo Rendon Benitez (12 goals, 12 assists) and senior Finn Hough made the SD1 first team for Catlin Gabel. The Aardvarks' have a powerful duo up front in juniors Shay Doshi and Ryder Sendecke, who had 20 goals and 13 assists, respectively, in the regular season. Doshi's first-half goal beat Westside Christian 1-0 in the semifinals. Sendecke and junior Axel Murray were first-team SD1 selections.
jerryu@osaa.org
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