Sports
B1
Appeal Tribune, www.silvertonappeal.com
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
MOLLY J. SMITH/STATESMAN JOURNAL
From left, Maggie Roth, Bella Jensen, Savannah Reilly and Katie Sinn pose for a picture at a Silverton High School soccer practice in Silverton.
Silverton girls soccer looks to
build on last season’s success
MOLLY J. SMITH / STATESMAN JOURN
From left, Silverton High School soccer captains Brylee Mead, Maggie Roth and Savannah Reilly
pose for a picture at practice.
GARY HOROWITZ
STATESMAN JOURNAL
As the only returning senior starter
from a team that reached the Class 5A
girls soccer state championship game
last season, Silverton midfielder Maggie
Roth realizes that it will take time for the
Foxes to become a cohesive unit.
But there’s no reason to lower expec-
tations.
“I don’t think it’s in our best interests
to lower the bar. I think that’s bad for
your team,” said Roth, a second-team all-
state selection last season. “I think we
can do what we did last year if we just
work and come together, but we have a
lot to do.”
In addition to the graduation of Han-
nah Munson, another second-team all-
state selection from 2016, the Foxes will
not have sophomore striker Paige Alex-
ander, who is playing for the Portland
Thorns FC Girls Development Academy
as a member of the U17 team.
Alexander scored 33 of the Foxes’ 61
goals last season and was the 5A co-play-
er of the year. She also was the States-
man Journal’s girls soccer player of the
year.
Members of the Portland Thorns FC
by club rule are not permitted to play for
their high school teams.
“I really loved playing with Silverton,
just the connection with the team was
amazing,” Alexander said. “It’s sad for
me, but I’m extremely happy and excited
to be playing with the Thorns Academy
and I’m going to come watch the (Silver-
ton) girls as much as I can and give ‘em
all my support.”
Fourth-year Silverton head coach Ga-
ry Cameron learned late in the spring
that Alexander would not be part of the
2017 team, and he supports Alexander’s
decision. So do her former teammates.
But replacing Alexander’s scoring
will be a challenge.
“She was our key shooter so we’ve
definitely had to change things up, get
other people to shoot more,” said Bella
Jensen, a junior defender/center-mid-
fielder. “It’s definitely a tough loss.
“We miss her a lot, but I think we can
do it without her. We’ve got some good
shooters coming in.”
Jensen is one of only three returning
juniors from last season’s roster along
with defenders Katie Sinn and Savannah
Reilly, a co-captain with Roth and senior
midfielder Brylee Meade.
Half of Silverton’s 2017 roster con-
sists of sophomores and freshmen.
Cameron said it will take time to de-
velop chemistry with so many first-year
varsity players, but there is plenty of tal-
ent to work with.
“It’s good to be us,” Cameron said.
“We’ve got good kids, we’ve got a good
facility and we’re gonna pursue excel-
lence.”
Silverton was 14-4-1 overall last sea-
son (5-1-1 Mid-Willamette Conference)
and placed third in the league behind
Corvallis and Crescent Valley. The Foxes
played their best in the playoffs, a script
they hope to duplicate this season.
Despite the departures of key players
from the state runner-up team, Reilly
said expectations remain high.
Silverton opens league competition
Oct. 3 at home against Central, and the
most difficult league games on paper are
at the end of the regular season against
Crescent Valley (Oct. 19 at home) and
Corvallis (Oct. 24 on the road).
“I think by midseason we’re gonna be
pretty solid and the target will probably
remain on our back,” Reilly said.
There may be some growing pains
early, but that’s to be expected from such
a young team with so many parts to re-
DANIELLE PETERSON / STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE
Sophomore Paige Alexander, who led the Foxes with 33 goals last season, has elected to play
for the Portland Thorns FC Development Academy.
place.
No one has played more minutes than
Roth, who Cameron says is “everything a
leader should be.”
“I need to show my team how we play
and kind of connect us together,” said
Roth, a three-sport standout in soccer,
basketball and softball. “We definitely
need to grow together as a team and
bond, just build up their confidence.”
ghorowitz@StatesmanJournal.com,
or Twitter.com/ghorowitz
Boys soccer
Mid-Willamette Conference: When
is Woodburn not the favorite to win the
league? The team won the 5A state cham-
pionship last season and graduated ev-
ery all-league player on the roster, but
there’s a reason Woodburn has been a
state power for a decade. Dallas should
be improved with a senior class includ-
ing Michael Davison, Ian Porter and Jon-
athan Dressel.
Girls soccer
Mid-Willamette Conference: Last
year’s state semifinalists Silverton and
Crescent Valley should battle defending
league champion Corvallis for the top
spot in the league. Central returns a ju-
nior class that includes Sophia Henke,
Ana Becerra and Allison Wells and
should move up in the conference.