The Gladiators rule their league in soccer for a fourth consecutive season

The Gladstone Gladiators last week continued as one of the hottest teams in Oregon high school girls soccer, as they clinched their fourth straight league title with shutouts of 11th-ranked La Salle (2-0) and Estacada (8-0).

The pair of wins put the Gladiators at 8-0-1 in league (11-1-1 overall) heading into their Oct. 30 Tri-Valley Conference final with North Marion (4-3-2). Molalla (6-2-1) was in second place.

Ranked third in the state — behind Mazama (13-0-1) and Scappoose (12-1-0), the defending state champion Gladiators will host a first round game of the Class 4A state playoffs next Tuesday (Nov. 6). And if they win that contest they’ll likely host a state quarterfinal game on Saturday, Nov. 10.

Gladstone sophomore goalkeepers Molly Webster and Gabrielle Wachlin and Gladstone defenders have recorded 11 shutouts in their first 13 games this season, out-scoring their opponents 57-2.

Gladstone senior playmaker Amber Jensen is the Gladiators’ top goal-scorer this season, with 24 goals and 13 assists. Junior forward Kelsey Hathaway has 15 goals and five assists, despite sitting out last week’s games nursing an ankle injury. Junior midfielder Kendall Schumaker has four goals and seven assists.

“We’ve had 10 girls score goals this season and 14 have made assists....,” Gladstone coach Steve Thomas said. “This is the fastest team we’ve ever had at Gladstone, and the most athletic team we’ve had....

“I’ve checked online, and we’ve got the best defensive [girls soccer] team in the state, all levels — 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A. No girls team has given up fewer goals.”

Jensen was at the top of her game in last Thursday’s 8-0 shutout of Estacada, scoring four goals and assisting on a fifth tally. It was the fourth hat trick of the season for the Gladiator senior leader.

“They tried to man-mark Amber,” Thomas said. “When you man Amber, she’s going to score.”

Senior Madi Cronin, sophomores Riley Webster and Tianna Smith, and freshman Allie Seymour also found the net in the Estacada game. It was their first goals in varsity play for both Smith and Seymour.

Thomas praised junior Julia Schumaker for standout play in the Estacada game: “Julia played really good defense and she assisted on one of Amber’s goals. She’s my best communicator back there [on defense]. And she gets our offense going with passes out of the back. She has started our offense a lot this year with her good passing.”

The Gladiators faced one of their stiffest challenges of the season in last week’s win at La Salle.

“It was a back-and-forth, playoff caliber game,” Thomas said. “We got more shots than they did, but we also gave up the most shots we’ve given up this year.”

Thomas had his Gladiators with a 15-10 advantage in shots and only an 8-6 edge in shots on-frame.

Jensen put the Gladiators up 1-0 early, scoring just 12 minutes into the contest. Junior Kendall Schumaker headed a goal-punt from the 45, through two defenders, back to the 25. Jensen ran onto the ball, beat the keeper, and put it away.

The Gladiators dodged a bullet near the middle of the first half, when Gladstone keeper Molly Webster came through with what Thomas termed, “probably the best save of her high school career.”

A La Salle player caught Webster out of position near the front of her box and cracked a high looping shot.

“Molly hustled to get back and, looking over her shoulder, like a wide receiver in football, she jumped and pushed the ball up and over the top of the post,” Thomas said. “It was a certain goal. They score, it’s a 1-1 tie and who knows what happens....

“Molly had two excellent saves [in the first half], either one of which would have tied it up.”

Jensen scored the Gladiators’ second goal, just before the halftime break. Junior Nanna Sandholdt split two defenders with a gap-pass to Jensen, and Jensen did the rest.

“We came out hard in the second half,” La Salle coach Ryan Cereghino said. “I was proud of our defense for learning from the first half and shutting Gladstone out for the second half.

“Offensively, many of our chances came in the first half, but we could not put one in the back of the net. Amanda [Byrne] had a great header off a corner, but a Gladstone defender did a good job of staying at her post and clearing the shot away. Claire [Primack] had a dangerous quick turn-and-shoot....”

La Salle got back on the win track last Thursday, with junior goalkeeper Sydney Chvilicek notching her third shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over Madras.

Megan White scored twice for the Falcons. The junior forward scored unassisted just seven minutes into the game when she trapped a goal kick, sprinted toward the goal and put the ball away.

White’s second tally, scored in the second half, was also unassisted. She took the ball to the right side of the 18-yard box near the end-line, and pounded it off the goalie’s hand and into the top right-corner.

Kate Christoferson scored off a cross from Claire Primack to round out the scoring.

Coach Cereghino said that White and Amanda Byrne were his “players of the game.”

“Together Amanda and Megan created most of the offensive chances we had in the game,” Cereghino said. “Megan had some outstanding touches on the ball and created very dangerous opportunities. Amanda was very determined in the middle. She did a good job of taking control of the game, encouraging her teammates, and making things happen.”

With the win, the Falcons upped their league record to 4-4-1 (6-6-1 overall) heading into this Tuesday’s TVC final at Estacada (1-6-2).

Kingsmen hold their own

with the best in 5A

Rex Putnam coeds last week continued to hold their own with some of the best teams in the state, as they battled to a 1-1 standoff with third-ranked Wilsonville and took care of business with cross-town rival Milwaukie, winning 6-0.

The Kingsmen had more of the possession in their Oct. 23 game with Wilsonville, but struggled to finish. Their loan goal was on a follow-up shot by senior Fatima Herrera late in the first half. Mariah Maier fired on-goal; Wilsonville’s keeper deflected the shot, and Herrera put it away from close range.

Wilsonville scored the equalizer on a penalty kick near the midpoint of the second half, and neither team could find the net down the stretch.

Putnam goalkeeper Annabella Geist played a solid game in-goal.

“Annabella saved our butt a couple of times, but she’s been doing that all season,” Maier said.

The Kingsmen were slow to start in the Milwaukie game, and the two teams played to a scoreless tie in the first half.

The second half was a different story, as Maier found the net off a cross from Chelsea Steelman in the first minute of play.

Geist even got into the act, scoring her first goal of the season when senior Fernanda Manzano replaced her in-goal.

Mariah Maier found the net a second time, and seniors Alea Leibner and Kaylee CdeBaca and sophomore Makenzie Maier added single tallies.

The Kingsmen (7-3-1, 3-2-1) were to conclude their Northwest Oregon Conference season on Oct. 30, playing St. Helens (7-4-2, 3-3-0) on the road.

They entered play this week ranked seventh in the state in the OSAA power rankings. Northwest Oregon Conference teams Sherwood (10-1-2, 5-1-0), Wilsonville (8-3-1, 5-0-1) and Liberty (8-4-1, 4-2-0) were ranked second, third and eighth respectively.

“I know we all have the heart and desire to go far [in the playoffs],” Mariah Maier said. “But we’ve got to stay healthy. We’ve had problems with injuries all year. Almost everyone on the team has been injured at some time.”

Maier said that defenders Shayla Laurendeau and Maddie Makinster and forward Makenzie Maier sat out all or part of the Milwaukie game nursing injuries.