Clackamas bags its fifth league title in eight seasons

Last week was a huge week for Clackamas High School’s girls soccer team.

With hard fought wins last week over Lake Oswego (2-1) and Oregon City (1-0), the Cavaliers locked up the Three Rivers League championship.

The wins put the Cavaliers at 7-0-2 in league with but one league game remaining. West Linn (4-2-3) was in second place.

For the Cavaliers, it’s their fifth league title in the past eight seasons and their sixth league title in school history. Clackamas made the state final for the first time in school history last year, after finishing second to Lakeridge in the TRL.

The Cavaliers were league champions in 1997, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011. With a win or tie in tonight’s league final with West Linn, the Cavaliers would finish unbeaten in league for the first time since 2007, when they advanced to the state semifinals, after going 8-0-4 in league.

“The girls have been working very hard,” said Clackamas coach Aimee Mansoor. “They have played with consistency throughout the season, and they are very honored to place first in a very strong Three Rivers League.

“Their competitiveness, resilience, ability to stay focused, and drive to live up to their potential, has helped them improve with each game. We are going to continue to work very hard and represent our league in the playoffs as best as we can, leaving all we have on that field with each game.”

Both of last week’s games were barnburners, with the teams going scoreless in the first half.

In the Lake Oswego game, Clackamas junior midfielder Sarah Jones scored near the midpoint of the second half, on a follow-up shot, after Lake Oswego’s keeper deflected a shot by Cassie Haehlen.

Lake Oswego answered just five minutes later.

The two teams then battled tooth and nail until Holly Hunt found the net from thirty yards out with but three minutes remaining. The assist went to Haehlen.

“A great team effort!” Mansoor said.

Sophomore forward Alaina Edgerly and Haehlen were the heroines for Clackamas in the Oregon City game. Edgerly received a pass from Haehlen and scored from close range, Mansoor said.

The shutout of Oregon City was the sixth shutout in their last ten games for the Cavaliers. Only two teams — Westview (3-1 loss) and West Linn (2-2 tie) — had scored more than a goal against the Cavaliers in their first 14 games of the 2013 season.

Mansoor commented: “Coach [Colby] White has been training our goal keepers extremely hard. Jade Haehlen and Teri Walters are really showing great strides and incredible leadership, pushing each other hard in training to become better.

“Defenders Riley Mitchell, Chantel Lusby, Erika Shaw, Amanda Grimshaw and Kaitlyn Reiner are working hard to continue to provide a solid reliable back line that is tough to beat....

“Every girl on the team has contributed and each girl has played a vital role in creating a competitive team that had the strength to win league. They deserve the honor and are now hungry for more....

“The girls couldn’t be any more ready or excited for the opportunities to come.”