Wilsonville, North Marion, Catlin Gabel join Grant as Oregon girls soccer champions: Vote for Saturday's top star
CLASS 6A
Story: Grant outlasts Cleveland for 6A Oregon girls soccer crown: ‘Our chemistry is awesome’
CLASS 5A
The Wilsonville girls soccer team embodies the circle of life celebrated in The Lion King.
It started with Lindsey Antonson, the state’s all-time leading goal scorer who led the Wildcats to the 2019 final and their first Class 5A state title in 2021.
Antonson passed the torch to Kenley Whittaker, a sophomore on the 2021 champions who anchored their successful title defense last season.
Saturday, it was Whittaker’s turn to pass the torch to the player the Wildcats hope becomes their next star. She and sophomore striker Camryn Schaan each had a goal and an assist, and Wilsonville (16-2) completed its three-peat quest with a 2-0 victory over North Eugene (14-3-1) at Sherwood High School.
“It’s been really fun to watch myself and reflect on it and be like, ‘Oh yeah, sophomore year, I was under the leadership of Lindsey, and then junior year, I took on that leadership role,’” said Whittaker, a UC-Berkeley commit whose 31st-minute goal opened the scoring.
“Then senior year, I just polished it, and I could not be more impressed with how this program has just supported me and allowed us to do these things. There were many moments where I was trying to tell myself, ‘What would Lindsey do? What would Karina Borgen or Dalton Mermis do?’ You know, the seniors who had big influences on my life. Can I find their example and lead my own team to victory?”
That’s the example third-year coach Alex Boehm hopes Whittaker has set for the youngsters.
“I think that’s the mark of a successful program, that you have role models who step in, lead, teach and pass the torch,” Boehm said. “I think that’s what we’ve done really successfully, and it’s a testament to the players that we have here.
“For us to be able to go from Lindsey to Kenley to Camryn — you know, I would say we have Tegan (Waters), Justine (Sheets), and I could list off countless leaders here who have learned from the best. And they get to take that torch and teach the next generation our culture and our standards.”
Whittaker, who finished with a team-high 30 goals, assisted on Schaan’s 20th of the year in the 49th minute, sending a through ball that sprang the sophomore for a one-timer to the lower-left corner.
The Wildcats defense, backstopped by senior Jasmine Brown (five saves), did the rest to hold off the Highlanders, who were seeking a first title for 28-year coach Brandy Wormdahl.
“We had to work for this one from the beginning,” Whittaker said. “North Eugene had a lot of possession in the first few minutes, but that’s the thing about us. We’re really comfortable, and we could find our groove. And once I found that first goal, we knew we had it.
“But I knew we had to fight every single minute. I think the last 10 minutes of that game were the hardest I’ve ever pushed myself in a high school game. They were just relentless, but we were solid on defense and pulled out the win, and that’s what it’s all about.”
CLASS 4A
Senior Kira Bonser made two saves in the penalty shootout, and Bethany Dunn converted in the seventh round as North Marion defeated defending champion Marist Catholic to win the program’s first OSAA state title at Liberty High School in Hillsboro.
The Huskies (15-3) won the shootout 5-4 after the teams finished regulation and overtime tied 1-1.
North Marion won the COVID-shortened 2021 spring title by beating the Spartans — also in a shootout.
“An amazing experience and well-deserved,” Huskies coach Ben Bonser said. “Lots of hard work rewarded.”
Paige Comerford scored off a free kick from 25 yards to open the scoring for the Huskies four minutes after halftime.
The Spartans (17-1-1) needed less than three minutes to equalize as freshman Libby McLaughlin tapped in a loose ball in the penalty area off a corner kick.
The loss ended Marist Catholic’s 34-match unbeaten streak that included a 2-1 win at North Marion on Sept. 12.
McLaughlin finished the season with 27 goals and 28 assists, the second-most helpers in a season in state history.
University of Oregon-bound senior Cloe Chase was held off the scoresheet for only the second time this season. She finished with 52 goals (No. 3 on the all-time state list) and 118 for her career (No. 5 all-time).
CLASS 3A/2A/1A
A year ago, Valley Catholic ended Catlin Gabel’s dreams of a third consecutive 3A/2A/1A state title by scoring three times in overtime for a 4-1 victory.
The Eagles (16-1-2) turned the tables this season, winning a penalty shootout 5-4 to earn their 16th championship.
Lily Ostrowski converted her penalty in the seventh round, and Holland Swan stopped Elizabeth Louie’s try to secure the victory.
“Last year, we scored early, and then VC got better and better as the game went on, and we faded down the stretch,” said Catlin Gabel coach Chris Dorough, whose team was in its eighth consecutive OSAA state final.
“We returned a ton of talent, and they remembered that and worked hard all offseason and during the season. We also had an outstanding freshman class come in who were hungry.”
The Valiants (16-1) handed Catlin Gabel its only loss during the season, 2-0 on the Eagles’ home field.
“We felt the title was ours to take and theirs to defend, and we liked our chances,” Dorough said. “The memory of last year carried this group throughout the final. I could not be more proud of this team and its attitude all year.”
Campbell Swaim gave the Eagles the lead on a 16th-minute free kick. Fabiola Quesada answered for the Valiants five minutes later, scoring a rebound goal after Swan saved a free kick.
“As the game wore on, I thought we got stronger and were the better side,” Dorough said.
—
