Jesuit rallies for 2-1 win over Tualatin
OSAA / U.S. Bank / Les Schwab Tires 4A Girls Final
November 16, 2002 at West Salem High School, Salem, Oregon
(Click on any match photo for a larger (up to 300K) version of each pic)
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GOALS |
| 17' - Tualatin: Rachelle Geyer (Amy McMenamin, Natalie Budge) |
| 18' - Jesuit: Alyssa Blackwell (Kathleen Loughlin) |
| 38' - Jesuit: Alana Fitz (unassisted) |
After trailing for just thirty seconds, the Jesuit Crusaders used a quick reply by Alyssa Blackwell to grab the momentum back, a late first half goal to take the lead, then held on for a 2-1 win over the Tualatin Timberwolves in the title game of the OSAA / U.S. Bank / Les Schwab Tires 4A Girls Final. Alana Fitz had the game-winning goal for the Crusaders, while Rachelle Geyer had the lone goal for the Timberwolves.
In a match that would feature a lot of midfield play, and few scoring opportunities and shots on goal, it wouldn't be until the 17th minute until the game would open up, but when it did, the pace for the next few minutes was fast and furious. It was Tualatin who broke though first, when a passing combination of Amy McMenamin and Natalie Budgee brought the ball to the feet of Rachelle Geyer, who used her brief open look at goal from near the top of the box to place a perfect shot into the upper right corner, and the Timberwolves had taken an early 1-0 lead on the defending champions.
But the lead would not last long. Just thirty seconds later, off a Crusaders free kick, Kathleen Loughlin headed to ball to a wide-open Alyssa Blackwell. Blackwell, though a good 25 yards from goal at an angle, hit a perfectly placed shot that shocked the Timberwolves defense, and goalkeeper Brittany Brokow, as it barely slipped inside the left post, and just like that the lead was gone.
The momentum would swing back and forth as two teams with great ball control skills attempted to build play from midfield. Neither team seemed to wanted to allow the other to grab the momentum before halftime, so both teams had defenders dropping back to stop the other teams' attack. The best opportunity for either team came when a Jesuit defender stumbled when chasing down a through ball to a Tualatin attacker, but the play was whistled back by the referee, who ruled that the Tualatin attacked had tripped the Crusaders defender.
With halftime looming, the Crusaders grabbed the lead, seemingly from out of nowhere, when an unexpected chip by forward Alana Fitz from 25 yards out caught the Tualatin goalkeeper off guard, and she was barely able to get a finger on it as she backpedaled towards her goal, but it wasn't enough to keep the ball out of the net, and the Crusaders had a 2-1 halftime lead.
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Four minutes into the second half, the Timberwolves nearly tied the match when Loughlin's header off a corner kick was cleared off the line by a Jesuit defender. The Timberwolves had their next good opportunity in the 66th minute when Jesuit goalkeeper Kim Parker was forced to punch a dangerous corner kick out of the box. Two minutes later, Parker was again having to stop the attack off a Tualatin cross, this time having to scramble to get control off a corner kick that was loose near the far post. The Timberwolves were doing well to keep possession during this span of the match, but often had attacks end by attempting to play crosses in from the wing when no attackers had yet entered the box, crosses that were easily collected by Parker.
The Timberwolves had one last good opportunity to tie the match in the 74th minute when after a cross into the box and a mis-hit clearance by the Jesuit defense, Fitz had an open look from 18 yards out, but her shot was wide right. The Timberwolves did not threaten again, and Jesuit held off the Timberwolves for a 2-1 win, and their second straight 3A championship trophy, their eighth in nine years.
Match report and all photos by Allison Andrews