Lane County soccer, volleyball teams aim for state titles

Lane County prep soccer teams remain in the hunt for a state championship, with second-round games kicking off Tuesday, Nov. 4, and continuing Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, three county volleyball teams have advanced to state tournaments, beginning Friday. 

Here’s the rundown:

Soccer

Girls 6A 

Sheldon and South Eugene both posted wins in Saturday’s first round, and the teams hit the road for second-round action Tuesday.

Sheldon, the No. 9 seed in the 32-team tournament, heads to Beaverton on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. match against No. 8 Westview. Sheldon (12-2-2 overall) beat McMinville 4-1 Saturday. Westview (12-2-1) shut out North Medford 3-0 in Saturday’s first round. The team has scored 44 goals and given up 13. The Irish — winners of the Southwest Conference — have scored 43 goals and given up 12, so on paper the game seems evenly matched. The winner advances to a third-round game Saturday against either No. 1 Jesuit or No. 16 West Salem.

South Eugene, seeded No. 14, edged Sandy 1-0 in Saturday’s first round to advance to a Tuesday 7 p.m. game at Lincoln in Portland. The Axe (9-4-3 overall) have scored 27 goals and given up 15. Lincoln (14-1), champion of the Portland Interscholastic League, has scored 47 goals and given up 11. The winner advances to a third-round game Saturday against either Tualatin or Grant. 

Girls 5A

North Eugene-Triangle Lake, the No. 1 seed in the 5A tournament, opens tournament play Tuesday at 6 p.m. with a home game against No. 16 West Albany. The Highlanders (14-0), champions of the Midwestern League, have scored 51 goals and given up three. West Albany (7-6-1) has scored 36 goals and given up 13. The winner advances to a Saturday game against either La Salle Prep or Mountain View. 

No. 7 Thurston entertains No. 10 Canby at 6 p.m. The Colts (9-3-1) placed second in the Midwestern League and scored 45 goals against 23 allowed. Canby, 8-7 overall, scored 32 goals and allowed 17. The winner advances to a second-round game Saturday against either Corvallis or Bend.

Girls 4A

No. 1 Marist Catholic hosts No. 16 Pendleton in a first-round game Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Spartans (13-1-1) won the Sky Em League title, scoring 82 goals and allowing seven. Pendleton (5-8-1) scored 15 goals and gave up 36. The winner advances to a second-round Saturday game against either North Marion-St. Paul or La Grande.

Girls 3A/2A/1A

No. 13 Pleasant Hill blanked No. 20 Salem Academy 1-0 Saturday to advance to a second-round road game at 7 p.m. Tuesday against No. 4 Central Linn. The Billies (9-3-3) have scored 39 goals and given up five. Central Linn (12-2-2) has scored 69 goals and allowed 11. The two league foes already have played twice this season: A Sept. 11 match ended 0-0, but the Cobras prevailed 1-0 in an Oct. 7 rematch. The winner advances to a third-round game against either Banks or Oregon Episcopal. 

No. 3 Creswell hosts No. 14 Blanchet Catholic Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a second-round game. Blanchet beat Douglas 3-0 to advance to the match against the Bulldogs. Creswell (13-1-2), winner of the Special District 3 regular season title, has scored 57 goals and given up six. Blanchet (10-3-2) has scored 50 goals and allowed 12.

Boys 6A

South Eugene and Willamette both won first-round matches Saturday to advance to Wednesday’s second round.

No. 25 Willamette posted the upset of the tournament thus far Saturday, ousting No. 8 McNary 2-1 in an overtime thriller. The reward for the Wolverines: a 7 p.m. road game Wednesday against No. 9 Jesuit, a 6-0 winner against Roosevelt in the first round. Willamette (8-4-4) has scored 26 goals and given up 12. Jesuit (7-5-4) has scored 34 goals and given up 15. The winner advances to a third-round game Saturday against either Westview or No. 1 Lakeridge.

No. 14 South Eugene travels to No. 3 Beaverton for a 7 p.m. Wednesday game. The Axe posted a 3-2 win Saturday against Mountainside to advance to the second round. Beaverton blanked McDaniel 1-0 in Saturday’s first round. The Axe (11-3-1), champions of the Southwest Conference, have scored 30 goals and allowed nine thus far. Beaverton (14-1-1), champions of the Metro League, has scored 38 goals and allowed seven. The winner advances to a third-round game Saturday against either Ida B. Wells or McMinnville.

No. 29 Sheldon fell to No. 4 Central Catholic 3-1 in a first-round game Saturday and was eliminated from the tournament. The Irish end their season with a 7-5-4 mark. 

Boys 5A

No. 14 Springfield travels to No. 3 La Salle Prep in Milwaukie for a first-round game Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The Millers (7-4-2 overall) have scored 18 goals and given up 22. La Salle (11-1-3) has scored 65 goals and given up 10. The winner advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals against either West Albany or Ashland.

No. 15 Churchill travels to No. 2 Centennial in Gresham for a first-game Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Lancers (6-6-2) have scored 24 goals and given up 32. Centennial (11-2-1), winner of the Northwest Oregon Conference, has scored 45 goals and given up 26. The winner advances to the quarterfinals against either McKay or Redmond-Culver. 

Boys 4A

Marist Catholic, the No. 8 seed, opens postseason play Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with a home game against No. 9 Tillamook. Marist (8-4-3 overall), the champion of the Sky Em League, has scored 31 goals and allowed 15. Tillamook (9-4-1 overall) has scored 47 goals and allowed 19. The winner advances to the quarterfinals against either Baker-Powder Valley-Pine Eagle or No. 1 Stayton.

No. 15 Cottage Grove travels to No. 2 The Dalles for a 2 p.m. Wednesday first-round game. The Lions (6-6) have scored 33 goals and given up 22. The Dalles (14-0-1), champions of the Tri-Valley Conference, have scored 68 goals and given up 13. The winner advances to the quarterfinals against either North Marion or Seaside. 

Boys 3A/2A/1A

No. 5 Creswell hosts Valley Catholic in a second-round game Wednesday at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs (13-2), the champions of Special District 3, earned a first-round bye. The team has  scored 78 goals and has allowed 20. Valley Catholic (7-6-2) has scored 42 goals and given up 35. The winner advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals against either Siuslaw-Mapleton or Dayton.

No. 13 seed Siuslaw-Mapleton beat North Valley 5-2 in Saturday’s first round and travels to No. 4 Dayton for a 6 p.m. Wednesday second-round game. The Vikings (10-4) have scored 65 goals and given up 30. Dayton (13-0-1), the champion of Special District 2, has scored 67 goals and given up 12. The winner advances to the quarterfinals Saturday against either Valley Catholic or Creswell.

Volleyball 

Two 6A teams have won slots in the eight-team state tournament, which begins Friday, Nov. 7 at Forest Grove High School. 

No. 4 Sheldon plays No. 5 Nelson at 1:15 p.m. Friday. The Irish have looked sharp over the first two rounds of the tournament, beating Cleveland 3-0 in the first round and following up with a 3-0 victory against Sandy. The Irish, 27-4 overall, have won 69 sets and dropped 15. Nelson, 27-4 overall, has won 62 sets and lost 13. The winner plays again Friday at 8:30 p.m. The loser drops into the consolation bracket and plays at 10 a.m. Saturday.

No. 7 South Eugene plays No. 2 South Salem at 3:15 p.m. Friday. South Eugene has yet to drop a set in the tournament, beating Sunset in the first round and sweeping Westview in the second round. The Axe (22-3) have won 69 sets and lost 15. South Salem (26-4) has won 66 sets and lost 13. The winner plays at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The loser plays at 10 a.m. Saturday in the consolation bracket. 

5A

No. 9 seed Churchill lost in straight sets to No. 8 Wilsonville in Saturday’s first round. The Lancers end their season with a 13-10 record, winning 41 sets and losing 33.

No. 15 North Eugene lost in straight sets to No. 2 Crescent Valley in Saturday’s first round. The Highlanders finish their season with a 7-12 mark, winning 30 sets and losing 35.

4A 

No. 1 Marist Catholic has advanced to the quarterfinals of the state tournament by defeating La Grande in straight sets Saturday. The Spartans (22-1) face No. 8 Astoria at 9 a.m. Friday at Marshfield High School. Marist has won 58 sets and lost 9. Astoria (17-5) has won 53 sets and lost 15. The winner plays again at 5 p.m. Friday. The loser moves to the consolation bracket and plays at 9 a.m. Saturday. 

Astoria advanced to the state tournament by defeating No. 9 Cottage Grove, 3-1, in Saturday’s first round. The Lions finished their season with a 12-7 record, winning 37 sets and losing 26.

3A 

Two Lane County 3A teams earned slots in the playoffs, but didn’t advance to the state tournament. No. 18 seed Pleasant Hill won in a first-round match Oct. 29, upsetting No. 15 Banks in straight sets on the road, but losing Saturday in three sets to No. 2 Westside Christian. The Billies end their season with a 14-13 record, winning 51 sets and losing 41.

No. 13 Creswell was upset in the first round Oct. 29 by No. 20 Warrenton in a five-set thriller in which the Bulldogs won the first two sets, but dropped the final three — the last by an 18-16 score. The Bulldogs end their season with a 14-11 record, winning 48 sets and losing 40.

2A

No. 11 Oakridge fell in Saturday’s first round, losing in straight sets to No. 6 Clatskanie. The Warriors end their season with a 16-10 mark, winning 53 sets and losing 42. 

1A

No. 14 Triangle Lake won a first-round thriller Oct. 29 against No. 19 Powers, prevailing in five sets but then lost Nov. 1 in the second round, a straight-set defeat against No. 3 Central Christian. The Lakers finished their season with a 20-6 record, winning 64 sets and losing 27.

No. 23 Mohawk qualified for the playoffs but lost in straight sets Oct. 29 in the first round against Imbler. The Mustangs finished their season with a 16-11 record, winning 52 sets and losing 44.