With many successive wins in the playoffs, La Salle’s girls varsity soccer team has made it to the finals. Currently, the team is ranked second in Oregon’s 5A league, with an impressive overall record of 15 wins, two losses, and one tie. 

After not making it to the playoffs for the last two years, the team is ecstatic to have this opportunity and feels pressure to keep up their winning momentum. “We’ve never had such a clear path to the final before, so it just feels like there’s more weight on it,” senior Abbie Reddick said. 

Playing on the varsity soccer team since her freshman year, Reddick described this season’s lineup as an especially supportive and unified community. “We’ve never been so together as a team…all striving towards one goal,” she said. 

On Oct. 28, La Salle’s girls varsity soccer team played Hillsboro High School, winning 2-0 on senior night, their last league game of the season. “It was bittersweet because it was our last league game there but…everyone was really excited because we wanted to win on senior night,” Reddick said. 

Despite their successes so far, the team has also faced some challenges. 

Two key players suffered concussions this season, meaning everyone has had to adjust their gameplay to accommodate. While it has been difficult, the team has been able to overcome this challenge by having younger players step up. 

Junior Emelia Warta has been able to find a positive side of the situation. “It gives people other opportunities, which has been really good because now it’s creating a much more competitive environment on the team…helping us become better.” 

So far this season, the team has been doing increasingly well with their offensive play and being aggressive on the field. In preparation for playoffs, they began doing many defensive drills. 

Not only have they grown in the technical aspects of soccer, the team also has “a really good bond,” freshman Brooke Wilkinson said. “I feel like when we connect well on the field we will definitely do well.” 

One of the highlights from the season so far has been the team’s 6-1 win against Corvallis High School. They hope to emulate the adrenaline and excitement from that victory in their final playoff game. “I think we’ve all realized that if we don’t win the next game it could be our last, so we’re all just going to come out with a lot of intensity,” Warta said. 

Another highlight so far has been their first playoff game against Churchill High School on Nov. 2, where they took home an impressive final score of 8-0, having to stop at halftime due to a goal limit called the “mercy rule.” 

“[We] just went out there full force,” Warta said. 

On Nov. 6, the team won 4-0 over Pendleton High School in the quarterfinals and 3-2 over North Eugene High School after going into overtime twice, on Nov. 9.

Looking ahead, they are preparing to play Wilsonville High School in the final on Nov. 13, and are anticipating a win at state. 

“I think that the only thing that’s in our way right now for playoffs is ourselves,” Wilkinson said. “We just have to make sure we’re bringing each other up.” 

While mainly focused on winning, Warta’s other goal for the rest of the season is “to be satisfied with our performance and know that everyone went out there and worked their hardest from the first whistle to the last whistle.”

Like the sentiments echoed by others on the team, Reddick said, “I just want to be proud of how I’m playing and know that I gave it my all.”