It took some time for Lincoln's girls soccer team to come to grips with 2-1 loss to West Linn in last year's 6A quarterfinals
“I think they knew we could've had that game,” Cardinals coach Lainey Hulsizer said. “A couple plays go differently, and we're into the semis. Watching West Linn make it to the finals was definitely like, 'Oh wow, we're good enough to be here, so we've just got to put it all together next year.'”
Lincoln, ranked second in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll, appears to be doing just that. After opening the season with a 1-0 loss to No. 6 Sunset, the Cardinals have dominated during an eight-game winning streak, outscoring their foes 41-2.
Hulsizer said that once her players got over “first-game nerves,” they have been on task.
“The first game we were just figuring things out,” she said. “It took a game to make some changes that were pretty significant.”
The winning streak includes a 5-0 home win over reigning 5A champion and top-ranked Wilsonville.
“That was definitely our best win,” Hulsizer said. “It was really competitive. They were really physical. It forced us to play a really quick possession game, and work it up the field as a team.”
The Cardinals are close to matching their goal total of 52 from last season, when they shared the Portland Interscholastic League title with Cleveland and Grant and finished 12-4-1.
Sophomore forward Frances Reuland (14 goals, eight assists) and senior midfielder/forward Alana Harry (eight goals, 11 assists) – PIL first-team picks last season – are leading the offense along with senior midfielder Kennedy Fletcher (seven goals).
Hulsizer likes how her players are “sharing the wealth.” They have shown improvement over last season in systematically breaking down defenses.
“Usually once we settle into a game and kind of figure out the opponent and where the holes are, that's when we really start clicking,” Hulsizer said. “They just have a higher soccer IQ, and they're a little more confident at their feet. They're getting their head up early, and they're playing faster than before.”
The defense also has been solid in front of junior Annabel Porter and sophomore Gabrielle Hill, who are sharing time at goalkeeper.
The Cardinals, who brought back only a handful of starters, are relying heavily on younger players. Four freshmen are getting significant playing time in forward Chloe Horton, midfielders Vega Arancibia and Margot Jackson and left back Lainey Goldsand.
“The great thing about it is we're really young,” Hulsizer said. “So it's exciting to think about how these players are going to do in a year or two or three years from now. I've never had this many freshmen on the team.”
Despite their overall youth, the Cardinals play with an intensity that is becoming their identity.
“Mentally they're a lot more tough than they have been in the past,” Hulsizer said. “It's just that go-getter mentality. Trainings have been amazing. They're really competitive. I find myself asking them to almost pull back so that we don't hurt ourselves before big games, because they go so hard in practice.”
Lincoln (8-1, 1-0) plays its most important game of the season so far Tuesday night. The Cardinals are home to face No. 5 Cleveland (7-1-1, 0-0) in a key league game.
Highlights from the past week:
Girls
Marist Catholic, No. 1 in 4A, extended its winning streak to 26 with an 8-0 win at Cottage Grove on Monday. Senior Cloe Chase had two goals and two assists, giving her 28 goals and 12 assists for the season. Freshman Libby McLaughlin added a goal and two assists, hiking her season totals to 11 goals and 15 assists. … Jaidyn Richter scored the winning goal late as Cleveland knocked off West Linn 2-1. … Mountainside junior goalkeeper Izzy Cory had double-digit saves to turn back Sunset 2-1 in a key Metro League match. During one sequence, she stopped three consecutive shots. …
Valley Catholic defender Calista Everson had a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Yamhill-Carlton as the Valiants improved their record to 8-0. She leads the team with eight goals. … North Valley senior Jordan Fagert has scored in every match since the opener. She had five goals and four assists last week in wins over Lost River and Douglas. … North Marion took sole possession of first place in the 4A Oregon West Conference by beating Philomath 2-1 on Thursday. The Huskies got a goal and an assist from Caile Lader, who was coming off a hat trick in an 8-0 win at Stayton. … Scappoose's Alice Davidson had seven goals as the Indians routed Seaside 7-1 and Rainier 8-0.
Boys
Senior forward Brady Housley has helped Westside Christian get off to a 10-0 start, racking up 14 goals and 14 assists. … The Dalles senior goalkeeper Luciano Alvarado led his team past reigning Tri-Valley Conference champion Madras 1-0 by stopping 10 shots. He followed that with a shutout in a scoreless tie with Gladstone. … Pacific/Bandon won at Umpqua Valley Christian 4-2 on Saturday to take over first place in 3A/2A/1A Special District 4. Dalton Steers scored all four goals in the win. …
Umpqua Valley Christian's Alex Howard had two goals each in wins over Douglas and Gold Beach. … Henry Murray helped Newberg end a four-match winless streak by collecting five goals as the Tigers defeated Nelson 5-2 and Oregon City 3-2. … South Medford bounced back from its first defeat – a 2-1 loss at South Eugene – to blank Sheldon 6-0 on Saturday behind three goals from Kyle Denn. … Rene Ortega exploded for four goals to lead Pendleton past Baker 5-1.
jerryu@osaa.org
Subscribe
