Wilsonville's Lindsey Antonson scored 51 goals as a senior, giving her a state career record 139. (Photo by Jon Olson)
Wilsonville's Lindsey Antonson scored 51 goals as a senior, giving her a state career record 139. (Photo by Jon Olson)

HILLSBORO -- Before Saturday, Lindsey Antonson's legacy as the all-time leading scorer in Oregon girls soccer already was secure.

But the Wilsonville senior not only added to her record in her final high school game, she provided the impetus for the Wildcats' first state championship.

The Oregon State-bound Antonson recorded a hat trick to lift top-seeded Wilsonville to a 4-2 win over No. 2 La Salle Prep in the final of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 5A final at Hillsboro Stadium.

With 51 goals as a senior -- the third-highest single-season total in state history -- Antonson finishes her career with 139. But Saturday was more about what she accomplished with her teammates, many of whom played on the 2019 team that lost in the final to Crescent Valley on penalty kicks.

"It feels amazing. We made history," Antonson said. "It makes it extra sweet to make history twice, especially for the team. It's a big deal for our program.

"We came out hard. That was our goal, to come out hard and put the pedal to the metal."

Antonson got the Wildcats (18-0-1) started with two goals for a 2-0 lead, scoring in the fourth and 14 minutes off assists from sophomore Kenley Whittaker and senior Brighton Ring, respectively.

After Northwest Oregon Conference rival La Salle Prep (15-3-1) had pulled even at 2-2 on goals by junior Emelia Warta in the 35th and 39th minutes, Antonson answered the bell again. She was taken down near the top of the 18-yard box and converted a penalty kick for a 3-2 lead in the 45th minute.

Wilsonville added a goal by senior Dalton Mermis, off an assist by senior Karina Borgen, in the 57th minute and coasted to the victory.

It was just the latest display of dominance from Antonson, who made scoring look easy throughout her stellar career.

"Playing with her, it's just something special I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," Borgen said. "She surprises us every day. There are sometimes there are like six on her, and she scores anyways. There are definitely a lot of times when we are in awe. It's just Lindsey. We're used to it."

Wilsonville co-coach Alex Boehm credited Antonson for raising the bar for the Wildcats.

"She is amazing as a kid, a personality, a leader, as she is technically as a player," Boehm said. "As a coach, we're privileged to have Lindsey because of the example she set for our program. Kids look up to her.

"She puts a lot on her shoulders, but it's all because we have such a strong foundation that she helped build."

Antonson and the Wildcats were motivated by that heartbreaking finals loss two years ago. When La Salle Prep pulled even at 2-2, Wilsonville -- with nine seniors on its roster -- buckled down in the second half.

"We went back to our roots and just understanding the way of our game, and our game is gritty," Boehm said. "And our culture is confidence."

Said Antonson: "We did not want to go into overtime. We did not want to go to PKs again. We knew that we weren't going to get to that point."

Borgen said the 2019 finals loss was "brutal."

"I think about it every day," Borgen said. "And now, I just replaced that with the memory of us winning. We were really good last season, and we knew that if that championship was there, we would've gotten it. So we carried that into this season. We knew it was our year, our time."

La Salle Prep lost at Wilsonville 5-0 in a conference match Oct. 6 but made it more difficult for the Wildcats on Saturday. After rallying to pull even at 2-2, the penalty kick was a tough blow to the Falcons, who won their only title in 2016.

"It changed everything," La Salle Prep coach Andrew Frazier said.

Overshadowed by Antonson's achievements was the outstanding play of Warta, who finished the season with 32 goals and 12 assists.

"Lindsey obviously is out of her mind, but I think Warta is the best all-around player in the state of Oregon," Frazier said. "Next year, she will be the player of the year."