Women's soccer notes: No. 1 Grant performs well despite “goals”
The Generals, the reigning 6A champions, are ranked 21st in the nation, Marist has piled on wins against 4A rivals and Canby has risen to No. 1 in 5A.
Grant players celebrate after beating Cleveland in overtime in last year's 6A girls soccer final. (Photo by JR Olson)
Last season, the Grant girls soccer team stunned 6A by winning its second state title in three seasons despite replacing 13 players from 2022 on the team.
With seven starters returning this year, the Generals won't be able to fly under the radar: Not only are they ranked No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 6A Coaches Poll, but they're also rated No. 21 nationally by United Soccer Coaches.
“There's a target on our backs,” coach Manolis Touanakis said, “You see how strong the teams we've played so far, it's almost like that's the standard and you see how they're going to compete against a team that's a returning state champion. Something we've been trying to work on is not putting too much pressure on ourselves.”
Grant is coming into this challenge with a 5-0 record and one draw. The Generals have wins over No. 1 Canby in 5A, No. 3 Wilsonville in 5A (a three-time state champion) and No. 2 Jesuit in 6A. They were held to a scoreless draw at No. 3 West Linn in 6A.
Grant seems to have adapted well after graduating from starting forward, central midfield, central back and right back.
“We kind of lost the center of the field,” Touanakis said. “It's a tough place to rebuild, but thankfully it's going well for now. We're still a work in progress, but it's going well for now.”
“The style is the same, but with the new guys we've got, I think we've got a little more speed up front. Last year we didn't have the speed at any position, but I think we have it this year.”
Junior forward Nailani Solomon leads the team with six goals and one assist. Senior Kate Ratanaproeksa has three goals and senior Paige Nakada, sophomore Vivian Collins and junior Willa Stockton have two goals each. Junior Lucy Kapranos and sophomore Charlotte Wilson have shared goalkeeping duties but only scored two goals.
The Generals showed just how dangerous they are with a 5-1 home win over the Jesuits on Sept. 16. The win propelled the Generals to the top of the 6A Coaches Poll, replacing the Crusaders.
The afternoon game was played in front of a packed crowd at the Grant Bowl, which closed last year forcing the Generals to play their home games at Delta Park. This was the first time the game had been played there this season.
“Being a bowl game, the guys were under a lot of pressure,” Touanakis said of his players. “The atmosphere was great. It was one of those games where the guys were really focused. They came out ready to play. They weren't scared of who they were playing against.”
Within the first two minutes, Nakata scored a header on a set piece assisted by senior Chloe Helkert, and seniors Tessa Materi and Solomon added goals in the first half for a 3-0 lead. Solomon and Ratana Proeksa scored goals in the second half.
But three days later, Grant failed to score in a 0-0 draw at West Linn.
“I was very worried going into the game because the players had been playing really well since Monday,” Touanakis said. “We didn't practice very well on Tuesday and Wednesday. We weren't focused. It reminded us that we can't let our guard down just because we've won one game. It was a good lesson for us early in the season.”
Grant also scored early, 1-0 against Canby and 2-0 against Wilsonville. Senior Marlee Hunter scored the lone point against Canby with a 25-yard left-footed shot in the sixth minute. Solomon scored within the first two minutes against Wilsonville and Materi added her second late in the second half.
Ratanaproeksa has committed to Northwestern University for lacrosse and is a veteran scorer. A four-year starter, she scored a goal in the 2021 state championship win over Beaverton and also had two goals in last year's state final win over Cleveland.
Ratanaproeksa, a three-sport athlete, trains primarily in lacrosse.
“So it's just a matter of time before she gets a little more comfortable,” Touanakis said. “For her, we've made the preseason a time to get back into playing football. Slowly, she'll get back in shape.”
Ratanaproeksa has Solomon and Materi up front, while Grant's attack will depend on midfielders Nakada and Hunter, who have both committed to play at the University of San Francisco and Chicago State University, respectively.
The backline is solid with Helkert and junior Sade Melville returning as starters.
“They understand how we want to play,” Touanakis said.
Maristran
Marist Catholic (5-1), ranked No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 4A Coaches Poll, has won four straight games against 4A-ranked teams since a 2-1 loss to 5A No. 2 North Eugene on Sept. 5.
The Spartans beat No. 2 North Marion 3-1, No. 8 Philomath 3-1, No. 4 Hidden Valley 1-0 and No. 9 Gladstone 5-1. They got the win over Hidden Valley with 10 minutes left in the game when freshman Lexi Hudson scored on an assist from sophomore Libby McLaughlin.
Senior midfielder Ella Braunjer has four goals in the past five games. Braunjer and sophomore forward Cruz Donawa are tied for the team-high in goals with four. McLaughlin has three goals and a team-high eight assists this season.
Rise of the Cougars
Canby (4-1-1) jumped from seventh to first in this week's OSAAtoday 5A Coaches Poll with an impressive showing.
Since losing 1-0 to 6A No. 1-ranked Grant, the Cougars have beaten Thurston 1-0 at home and won 3-2 against Catlin Goebel and 3-0 on the road against North Marion.
Thurston is ranked fifth in 5A, Catlin Goebel is ranked first in 3A/2A/1A and North Marion is ranked second in 4A.
Senior forward Kendell Johnson scored two goals each against Catlin Goebel and North Marion, while senior Sadie Schweitzer, junior Audrey Haycock and junior Jenna Butler each scored against Catlin Goebel, North Marion and North Eugene, respectively.
Notes: North Salem's Cora Chapman scored four goals in a 6-1 win over Reynolds on Sept. 17. Eight of the team's 12 goals this season have been hers. … North Marion came from behind to beat Molalla 5-3 on Sept. 19 behind four goals from Bethany Dunn. … Crater beat Mazama 6-0 on Sept. 21 behind four goals from Macy Samuelson. … Rowan Evans had two goals and two assists in La Grande's 4-1 win over Astoria on Sept. 20 at Estacada.
