As October comes to a close and fall high school sports wrap up for the season, three high school soccer teams are gearing up for postseason play.
Four Rivers girls soccer team
Marcus, Zacarias, Four Rivers Community School’s girls soccer head coach, said Monday that his team’s hard work is now paying off as the Lady Falcons move into the second round of the state playoffs Wednesday in the program’s first-ever playoff appearance.
The 1A Lady Falcons, with a 10-2-3 overall record, are fresh off a 2-1 victory over Blanchet Catholic on Saturday as they get on the road to face No. 1-ranked Catlin Gabel Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the second round of postseason play.
The Catlin Gabel Eagles were 12-1 overall and 9-0 in league play.
The No.16-ranked Lady Falcons, who finished second in their division this year, missed the state playoffs by one game last season.
Daniel Dominquez, Ontario high school boys soccer coach, praised the Falcons’ success. He noted that for a school that is not even 20 years old and a program that has only existed for four years, the success is amazing.
“To be that young,” Dominguez said, “and to be in the state playoffs is awesome.”
Ontario girls
Javier Gonzalez, Ontario High School girls soccer head coach, said Wednesday’s game against Newport on the road would be somewhat of a repeat of when they played the Lady Cubs last year.
The No. 11-ranked Lady Tigers punched their ticket for state playoffs after blanking Estacada 3-0 Saturday, Oct. 29. The Lady Tigers face Newport Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. PST.
He said in last year’s game, the Tigers lost to Newport after being up 2-0 with about 10 minutes left to play.
“This year,” Gonzalez said, “we’re going to their house, which I said (to the team) we’re just going to play it back. The goal is to go there and get the win.”
The No.6-ranked Newport Lady Cubs went 12-2-1 overall and were 7-2-1 in league play.
Gonzalez, who took the helm in 2019, said he had coached many of the players on the team on his club soccer team over the years and the state playoff run is what the Tigers have been working towards over the years.
“Most of these girls played for me when they were 11 and 12,” he said. “So it’s great to see that product come into play.”
He said the squad knows they have a skilled team and that success in the postseason is about putting all the pieces together and working as a team.
The 4A Lady Tigers finished 7-5 overall and went 4-2 in league play. However, according to Gonzalez, the win-loss record only partially reflects the team’s season. For instance, Gonzalez points out that two games were canceled this season that they were unable to make up.
Ontario boys
Having won the Greater Oregon League championship four out of the last five years, the boys team had a goal to win the league title again, according to coach Daniel Dominguez. championship again this year. This season, the Tigers dominated the league with a 6-0 record and went 10-1 overall.
Dominguez said hard work, dedication and effort day in and day out in the classroom and on the field got the team to where it is today.
“We’re trying to teach (these kids) that if you put time and effort into something that you want in life, you will get results,” Dominguez said.
As the team prepares to host Tillamook Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., Dominguez said he only knows a little about the Cheesemakers, who went 10-3-1 overall and were 9-3 in league play this season. Nonetheless, the coach said, he would love the community at the match.
“This game is for the kids,” Dominguez said. “We’d like to see the support from all fans to show these kids that we have their back.”
News tip? Contact reporter Steven Mitchell at [email protected].