Prep soccer: La Grande girls to play for state championship
Published 4:00 pm Thursday, November 14, 2024
- La Grande’s Rowan Evans, right, and Ontario’s Mariaya Mireles battle during a 2023 game. Evans leads the Tigers into the state 4A championship game on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.
HILLSBORO — The La Grande High School girls soccer team plays for the 4A state championship Saturday, Nov. 16 against top-ranked Marist Catholic of Eugene. Here’s what you need to know about the championship bout:
When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.
Where: Liberty High School, 7445 NE Wagon Drive, Hillsboro.
How the Tigers got here: La Grande, ranked No. 2 in the state, is 14-1-1, with its only loss coming on Sept. 4 to Fruitland, Idaho. In the playoffs, the Tigers have yet to give up a goal, with 2-0 wins against North Bend and Astoria and a thrilling 1-0 overtime win in the semifinals against North Marion, last year’s state champion.
How Marist Catholic got here: The Spartans are 16-1-1 with their only loss coming against 5A North Eugene. Marist Catholic has had a somewhat easier run in the playoffs, with a 3-1 win over Newport, a 2-1 win over Philomath and a 4-0 semifinal win against Scappoose.
Playoff history: The Tigers were eliminated in the first round last season. La Grande’s only other appearance in a championship game came in 2013, a losing effort. Marist Catholic lost the championship game last year, a heartbreaking loss to North Marion on penalty kicks. The Spartans are 1-6 in championship games and won the 2022 title.
Players to watch: La Grande’s junior forward Rowan Evans was the MVP in the Greater Oregon League and has 26 goals and 10 assists. Senior forward Paige Allen has 17 goals. Goalkeeper Lyndie Isaacson has a goals-per-game average of 0.27.
Marist Catholic lost its star striker, Cloe Chase, to graduation and a spot on the University of Oregon’s soccer team. But the team has more balanced scoring this year, with sophomore Libby McLaughlin leading the way with 21 goals and 28 assists. Senior midfielder Ella Braunger has 12 goals and Ella Shepherd, another senior midfielder, has 11.
Both teams boast stingy defenses. The Tigers have given up just 11 goals this season, and five of those came in the loss to Fruitland. It’s been more than a month since a team scored against La Grande. The Tigers have posted nine shutouts. The Spartans have given up just nine goals this season and have 11 shutouts to their credit.
How to watch: The game is scheduled to be livestreamed on the NFHS Network, nfhsnetwork.com. A subscription is required.
