After a surprising loss to Springfield in the first round of the playoffs last year, the La Salle boys soccer team is looking to make a deeper run in the playoffs this year. With several returning upperclassmen players and with some new underclassmen joining the team this year, the Falcons have already demonstrated that they can win and be successful against some of the top teams in the 5A division.

The Falcons have a record of 3-2-4 so far this season and have started league play 1-0-1, with a 3-0 win against Parkrose on September 29th, and a 1-1 tie against Wilsonville on Tuesday night. La Salle is currently ranked #8 in state in 5A, and is on track for another successful season.

In preseason play, the team tied Hood River 1-1, who dominated last season and are the defending 5A state champions. The team also tied with Woodburn, which is currently ranked 2nd in state. With some great results against several of the top competitors in the state, this gives confidence to the team that they are able to compete at the highest level.

“One of our strengths this season is definitely our depth,” junior and returning varsity player Jack Gabrish explains. “We have always had a really good defense but this year we are solid in all positions on the field.”

Senior captain Joe Parise says the team takes pride in their control of the ball. When asked about the strengths of the team, he explains, “We are a very physical team this year. We take advantage of 50/50 balls better than we have in the past.”

A team goal this season is to finish 1st in the Northwest Oregon Conference. With a strong start in league play and being currently tied for first, the Falcons are on track and have high hopes to achieve this goal. After league play is over, the obvious goal is to make a run for the state championship.

The Falcons are looking to use the momentum from their first two league games to help them win their next games at home against Putnam this Thursday, October 6th and next Tuesday, October 11th against Sandy.