McMinnville doesn't exactly have a rich tradition in girls soccer. The Grizzlies have never won a league title, and the last nine times they made the state playoffs, they quickly exited in the first round.
But all that could be about to change this season. McMinnville is unbeaten, ranked sixth in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll and leading the 6A Pacific Conference. The Grizzlies (11-0-1, 3-0) haven't trailed all season, the only blemish on their record a 1-1 tie with 5A No. 7 Hood River Valley.
The team has come a long way since going 2-9-4 in 2022, its first season under coach Karly Mingus, a 2012 McMinnville graduate who played in college at Western State (Colo.).
“This team, they don't give up,” Mingus said. “That's the biggest difference from then until now. This team is unbelievably determined, and they're such hard workers. They don't want to lose, and at this point, they haven't.”
McMinnville has outscored its opponents 45-6. The close matches that the Grizzles lost in recent seasons are going in the win column this year.
They defeated No. 10 West Linn 3-2 on a goal by sophomore Emma Quincy with 25 minutes left. They beat Barlow 1-0 when senior Tessa Ravia found the net with 31 minutes to go. And they turned back upset-minded Glencoe 1-0 last week when junior Mayeli Wilson struck in the 66th minute.
They can close out their first conference title with wins in their last two matches, Tuesday at Century (1-11, 0-3) and Thursday at home against second-place Sherwood (5-6-1, 2-0-1). If Sherwood beats Newberg (2-6-4, 1-2) at home Tuesday, then Thursday's match at McMinnville will decide the conference title.
“Their first goal this season was to win league,” Mingus said of her players. “They are really eager to do that. I would love to see that for them. Goal No. 2 for the girls is making it into the second round of the playoffs.”
Ravia, an Idaho State commit who plays for the Thorns Academy, leads the team with 12 goals and 10 assists. She sparks the attack from her midfield position.
“She's an incredible midfielder,” Mingus said. “Really you could put her anywhere, she's so effective. She has a really high IQ when it comes to the game.”
Sophomore Cameron Baker, a midfielder and forward, has contributed 11 goals and nine assists.
“She's a bulldog. Wherever you put her, she's going 100 percent,” Mingus said.
Senior midfielder Ailey Becker has been integral in supporting the defense. Mingus said that she is “one of the big reasons” why senior goalkeeper Samantha Flores-Velazquez, a fourth-year varsity player, has limited foes to six goals.
A change in formation to a 4-2-3-1 has boosted the offense from last season, when the Grizzlies scored 36 goals.
“That has been a little bit of an adjustment, but it's made a great difference in our style of play,” Mingus said. “We're doing a lot of build-outs from the back, and it's been a game-changer for us.”
Highlights from the past week:
Girls
Marist Catholic senior Libby McLaughlin set the state record for career points as the 4A No. 1 Spartans won at Marshfield 8-0 on Oct. 15. McLaughlin had two goals and three assists in the match, giving her 109 goals and 113 assists for her career. Her 335 career points surpassed the record of 329, held by Jesuit's Callan Harrington (2016-19). McLaughlin has 31 goals and 19 assists this season for two-time reigning state champion Marist Catholic. … Oregon Episcopal senior Cassidy Paulson had four goals (two on headers) and three assists to lead the 3A No. 2 Aardvarks past 4A No. 6 Banks 10-2 at home Saturday. Paulson, who has 30 goals and seven assists this season, recently became the 22nd player in state history to reach 100 career goals....
No. 3 Grant clinched the 6A Portland Interscholastic League title by beating McDaniel 2-1 and Franklin 5-0 in its last two matches. In the win over McDaniel, the Generals got goals from Parker Hetherington and Maddie Crawford. ... No. 4 Henley defeated No. 5 Klamath Union in a 4A Skyline Conference first-place showdown Monday. Paityn Modin scored off an assist from Prestyn Schade in the 27th minute for the host Hornets. Henley (7-0-1 in conference) and Klamath Union (5-1-1) tied 1-1 in the first round of Skyline play. …
No. 1 Catlin Gabel went on the road to dominate No. 4 Western Christian/Perrydale 4-1 in a 3A/2A/1A nonleague match Saturday. Alana Hill and Lia Peng-Field each scored twice for the Eagles, who had a 26-7 edge in shots. … 5A No. 2 North Eugene flexed by winning 5-1 at 6A No. 9 South Eugene on Oct. 15 in cross-classification match-up of two of Eugene's top programs. Camden DeWitt and Payton Buschelman each had two goals for the Highlanders.
Boys
No. 1 Jesuit moved into position to reclaim the outright 6A Metro League title with two big road wins. The Crusaders won 2-1 over No. 5 Beaverton – the reigning league and state champion – on Oct. 14. The Beavers took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jackson Wilde in the 37th minute, but Jesuit got goals from Vala Saghafi in the 48th and 68th minutes to win. The Crusaders followed up with a 4-0 victory at Westview on Monday as Saghafi and Jet Perry each scored two goals. Jesuit is 4-0 in the Metro and holds a one-game lead over Beaverton (3-1) with one match remaining, a Thursday home date with Sunset (1-2-1 in league). …
4A No. 1 Cascade rolled over host Newport 4-1 on Oct. 15 behind goals from Julian Cabrera, Liam Clausen, Enrique Alvarez and Adan Martinez. Newport tied Cascade 0-0 in the first round of Oregon West Conference play, the only blemish on the Cougars' record this season. Cascade visits No. 2 Stayton on Thursday in a match that could decide the conference title. … No. 6 Marshfield strengthened its hold on first place in the 4A Sky-Em league with a 3-1 home win over second-place Marist Catholic on Oct. 15. Jared Flores, Pedro Arruda Estevam and Josish Flores found the net for the Pirates. …
No. 7 Riverside picked up a key win in the 3A Greater Oregon League Hybrid on Saturday, overcoming No. 9 McLoughlin 3-2 at home. The Pirates got first-half goals from Alex Alcala and Eduardo Nicasio and a second-half game-winner from Francisco Jimenez. Goalkeeper Cristian Espain blocked a penalty kick. … No. 9 Tillamook/Neah-Kah-Nie is alone in first place in the 4A Cowapa League thanks to a 2-0 home win over No. 3 Valley Catholic on Oct. 13. Adan Soto and Canon Affolter scored for the Cheesemakers.
jerryu@osaa.org
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