Behind one of the state's all-time scoring leaders in senior Libby McLaughlin, two-time reigning 4A girls soccer champion Marist Catholic continues to throttle the competition this season.
The No. 1 Spartans have outscored their opponents 69-2 in a 9-0 start, extending their unbeaten streak to 26. They haven't skipped a beat after rebuilding their back line and altering their style of attack.
“We're figuring it out really quickly,” said coach Stefan Schroffner, whose teams have won three of the last four state titles.
At this point of the season, Marist Catholic's main focus is avoiding complacency in the Sky-Em League, where all six of its matches have ended by mercy rule.
“We need to make sure we're fully fit, make sure we're challenging ourselves so we're ready to go come state playoff time,” Schroffner said. “We're not getting a lot of 80-minute endurance challenges. We've got scrimmages lined up with the boys every week.”
In the meantime, McLaughlin is pursuing history. With 22 goals, she has 100 in her career, making her the 21st player in state history to reach that mark. She also has 12 assists, raising her state-record total to 110. Her 310 career points is No. 2 all-time behind Jesuit's Callan Harrington (328, 2016-19).
The center striker, named the 4A player of the year last season, has expanded her game.
“We've been trying to play in side spaces and she's been able to finish quite well on crosses,” Schroffner said of McLaughlin, who has yet to announce her college commitment. “That's really good to see. She's deadly in the box, but she's got some head goals this season.”
McLaughlin, Linfield-bound senior forward Cruz Donawa (13 goals, seven assists) and senior midfielder Tori Sherman (eight goals, 14 assists) have dubbed themselves the “Triangle of Death.”
“It's really hard to stop,” Schroffner said. “They're fun to watch. They play even better when the competition is better, too.”
If Marist Catholic had any question marks entering the season, they were on defense. The Spartans held opponents to seven goals last season but graduated three 4A first-team picks in defenders Piper Paslay and Gina Schroffner and goalkeeper Emily Meigs. They have moved on to college careers at Seattle Pacific, Whitman and Pacific Lutheran, respectively.
Junior Lexi Hudson and sophomore Evie Olds are excelling at center back and sophomore Brooklyn Breslaw has come into her own as a lock-down left outside back. Seniors Addie Hirons and Evelyn Tenbusch are sharing time at right outside back, and senior Nev Ficek has taken over at goalkeeper.
Sophomore Kiara Philyaw has helped buttress the defense in moving from wing to holding midfielder.
“What really makes the defense awesome is Kiara Philyaw,” Stefan Schroffner said. “She's kind of our physical enforcer.”
At the other midfield spots, Sherman and sophomore Alyssa McManus play at a relentless pace. Sherman, the reigning 800-meter state champion, was a 4A first-team selection last season.
“She might be our most creative player,” Stefan Schroffner said.
In the previous four seasons, Marist Catholic went a combined 69-4-3 with three state titles. The Spartans' only losses the last two seasons were by one goal to 5A power North Eugene.
Their closest match this season is a 2-1 victory over 5A Silverton. They won at No. 8 Philomath 7-0 in their season opener.
Marist Catholic was unsuccessful in scheduling matches against Eugene-area 6A and 5A teams, according to Stefan Schroffner.
“We've struggled to get anyone to play us,” he said. “The one thing I keep telling them is it's out of our control who we play. We're just going to play the best soccer we can and be ready for the playoffs.”
Highlights from the past week:
Girls
In a rematch of last year's 6A final, reigning champion and top-ranked Jesuit played to a 0-0 home draw with No. 3 Grant. The result ended a 23-game winning streak for the Crusaders (8-0-1), going back to a 0-0 tie with Grant last season. … Grant followed with a 2-1 home win over No. 4 Lincoln in a key Portland Interscholastic League game Monday. Parker Harrington gave Grant a 1-0 lead, and after Lincoln drew even off a corner kick in the second half, Cambria Litwinczuk scored the game-winner with three minutes left. … No. 4 Summit handed reigning 5A champion and top-ranked Bend its first loss, winning 3-0 on the Lava Bears' field in an Intermountain Conference match. Madilynn Millette, Auna Rowletti and Jubilee Johnson scored for the Storm. … No. 9 Caldera stopped No. 7 Mountain View in another key IMC game. Kamryn Emerson provided both goals for the host Wolfpack. … 5A No. 3 Sandy allowed its first goals of the season and suffered its first loss, falling 4-2 at 6A West Linn. Freshman Clara McCuskey scored three goals in an eight-minute span for the Lions, who also got a penalty kick from Bella Moultrie. …
No. 3 Scappoose is alone atop the 4A Cowapa League on the strength of a 3-0 home win over No. 6 Banks. Emily Kessi scored on a rebound off the crossbar, Kate Kessi made it 2-0 and Kasey Dierdorff converted an assist from Hadley Broberg into an open net. … No. 4 Henley and No. 5 Klamath Union are tied for first place in the 4A Skyline Conference after posting wins over No. 9 Phoenix. Henley won 1-0 at home, getting a goal from Evelyn Meza in the 59th minute. Klamath Union won 3-1 at Phoenix as Harper McLain bent a corner kick into the goal, Claire Petersen drilled a penalty kick and Camila Garcia found the net. … No. 4 St. Mary's went on the road to blank No. 10 Brookings-Harbor 2-0 in a first-place showdown in 3A/2A/1A Special District 3. Emma Wheelock and Ainsley Javarone scored for the Crusaders. … No. 2 Central Catholic stayed unbeaten by winning at No. 10 South Eugene 2-0 in a 6A nonleague match. Joan VanSandt and Claire Sdrulla scored for the Rams. … No. 6 Corvallis recorded back-to-back, 4-1 wins over No. 9 Churchill and No. 8 Thurston. Tessa Sharp and Zia Wolfgramm each scored three goals in the two matches.
Boys
No. 9 Franklin has moved into first place in the highly competitive 6A PIL by winning 2-0 at Wells and playing to a 1-1 tie against No. 5 McDaniel at home. Felix Ruiz converted a penalty kick and Jackson Shupp scored off a set piece against Wells. Zavier Baxter had the Lightning's goal against McDaniel. … Unranked Redmond upset 5A No. 1 Summit 1-0 at home in Intermountain Conference play. Gael Medina's goal in the 67th minute was the difference. … No. 8 Hood River Valley outlasted No. 5 Canby 4-3 on the road in a 5A nonleague match. … 4A No. 5 Cascade's streak of seven wins to start the season came to an end with a 0-0 home tie against No. 10 Newport in an Oregon West Conference match. … No. 4 Dayton gained sole possession of first place in 3A Special District 2 by dropping seventh-ranked and previously unbeaten Blanchet Catholic 1-0. Nathan Morales scored in the 58th minute for the Pirates. …
Adrian Reynoso and Adan Diaz scored goals to give unranked Madras a 2-1 home win over co-No. 6 The Dalles in a 4A Tri-Valley Conference match. Co-No. 8 North Marion defeated Madras 1-0 at home Monday, leaving both teams tied with The Dalles in first place in the Tri-Valley. … No. 2 Klamath Union turned back co-No. 6 Mazama in a 4A Skyline Conference game. Dallin Petersen, Callahan Daniels (penalty kick) and Skyler Dinger had goals for the Pelicans. … Grand View Christian Academy, ranked No. 1 in 2A/1A, cruised to a 4-1 nonleague home win over co-No. 6 Pacific in a battle of unbeaten teams. Matviy Palamarchuk scored twice and Amos Suciu and Leo Nam had single goals for Grand View. … St. Mary's, ranked No. 3 in 3A, has won eight consecutive matches by mercy rule since starting the season with a 2-2 tie against No. 1 Catlin Gabel. The Crusaders have scored 68 goals – most in the state for all classifications – and allowed three.
jerryu@osaa.org
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