Breaking the Curse

Soccer is the only sport that I am legitimately good at. I've been playing since I was 5 years old and have loved every minute of it. This fall is my last season of high school soccer, and more importantly, this week is my last week of it.

At Philomath High, our girls soccer team has been very skilled for several years. This year, our team is exceptional. That may be a biased opinion since I am a member of the team but I'll let our stats speak for themselves. Our record for this year is 17-0-1, meaning we're undefeated in league and playoff games.

In the past, we've gone to the playoffs regularly and been successful until the quarterfinal or semifinal matches. Then we would get knocked out of the tournament by teams like Oregon Episcopal, Catlin Gabel, or Hidden Valley. Not this year.

Yesterday afternoon, we faced Oregon Episcopal School in the semifinal match at Philomath High School. We battled it out in the rain and mud for 90 minutes. In the first half, Philomath scored off a header goal by center forward Sierra Grunwald, leaving the score 1-0 at half-time. A few sconds into the second half, Philomath scored again, this time from Sadi Stouder with a shot from about 30 yards from the goal. Philomath's defense was very effective at shutting down OES's offensive pressure and starting the attack for Philomath from the back. Another goal in the second half for Philomath sealed the deal and the game ended with a score of 3-0.

My team and I were ecstatic. We kept saying things like, "We just made history! We NEVER get past semis!" or "We're either going to be first or second in state!". Although we were very excited, those statements are true. We broke the curse and made it past the semifinals. On Saturday, we'll be able to fight for our chance to win state.

(photo by Lisa Watkins, Philomath against Westside Christian)