HILLSBORO – Seeded 11th, Silverton's girls soccer team was flying under the radar entering the 5A playoffs.
But Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium, the Foxes stood holding the blue trophy, the first in the program's history.
After a scoreless regulation time and two overtime periods, Silverton outscored No. 9 La Salle Prep 4-3 in a penalty-kick shootout to win 1-0 in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 5A final.
The Foxes (12-3-3) become the lowest seed to win a girls soccer title since the OSAA implemented the current seeding system in 2013. They won three playoff matches on the road, beating No. 6 Canby, No. 3 Summit and No. 2 Sandy, to reach the championship match.
“We've had to do that the last couple years, and it's been a hump we couldn't get over,” Silverton coach Don Holland said. “They got over the hump at Summit, and that gave them the confidence to go all the way.”
A season that started with modest expectations became one for the history books. Previously, the lowest-seeded champions were 4A Valley Catholic in 2017 and 5A Crescent Valley in 2018, both No. 10s.
“We were just kind of playing as a team just to get our last season together,” said senior Marley Wertz, the Mid-Willamette Conference player of the year. “I feel like we're a family project, and I don't think this was ever the end goal. Great things happen when you work together.”
La Salle Prep (12-4-2) – going for its first title since 2016, when it defeated Silverton on penalty kicks – had a 13-6 edge in shots. The Falcons' best chance came in the 48th minute when sophomore Lila Chipps fired in a scramble from close range, but she was turned away by Foxes freshman goalkeeper Emma Hailey.
The teams ended up in the shootout. Hailey, who made a school-record 139 saves this season and was the conference goalkeeper of the year, started the shootout by stymieing Falcons senior Kayla Supinski to give the Foxes the upper hand.
In the third round, La Salle Prep senior Lily Over hit the left post, and Silverton junior Atti Heinzman followed makes by sophomore Ashtyn Wentworth and senior Chloe Brooks to give the Foxes a 3-1 edge. Wertz closed it out with a make in the fifth round.
“We put her there for a reason,” Holland said of Wertz, who scored a team-high 18 goals this season. “She's the one that really builsd the team. She's the one that uplifts everybody. She's a leader on the field, off the field. We wanted her to finish in case it was dramatic fashion like that. That was the way for her to go out.”
Said Wertz: “It was stressful, crazy. I didn't know what to think. I was just taking that honor for the team.”
In goal, Hailey delivered under pressure like a veteran.
“It was very, very nerve-racking,” Hailey said. “We've been practicing PKs in practice almost every day. The very first goal that was scored on me in the season was a PK, so I feel like I've learned from that.”
The Foxes knew they were in good hands with Hailey between the pipes.
“Oh my gosh, she's killer,” Wertz said. “She is so cool. I had 100 percent, 200 percent, confidence in her. Never once did I doubt her.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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