Sports
A7
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Th e Observer
Riding upward momentum
Eastern Oregon women’s soccer team aims to continue recent success in 2021
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — It’s nearly
time for Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity to kick off its women’s
soccer season.
Despite the obstacles of the
2020 season, the Mountain-
eers managed to qualify for
the NAIA tournament for the
fourth consecutive year. How-
ever, Eastern will be looking
to avenge last year’s fi rst-round
loss as a strong group returns
for this women’s soccer season.
“With the returning group
that we have and our incoming
class, we defi nitely have high
expectations,” head coach Jacob
Plocher said.
Eastern is coming off a
shortened season in which the
team compiled an 8-2-3 record.
As opposed to the normal fall
season, men’s and women’s
soccer were played from Feb-
ruary to April in 2020. The
Mountaineers saw their season
end at the hands of Spring
Arbor in a 3-2 loss in the fi rst
round of the NAIA tournament
on April 27.
With sports schedules back
to normal in 2021, the Moun-
taineers face a quick turn-
around after last season ended
in the spring. With that turn-
around brings several pros and
cons for Eastern.
“I think it was kind of a
blessing and a curse, because
we’re still fairly in sync and
in rhythm,” Plocher said. “The
training so far has been great
in regards to chemistry and the
standard that we’re trying to
play at.”
Just over three months
since the end of last season,
the Mountaineers are back on
the fi eld in preparation for a
new slate of games. In addition
to still being in tempo after a
small off season window, there
is a heightened injury risk after
little time off .
The women’s soccer staff
has utilized sports performance
trackers to monitor the team’s
health and prevent injuries.
“We want to be mindful and
smart, knowing that we just
basically came off a season,”
Plocher said.
Winning tradition
In Plocher’s four seasons as
head coach he has compiled a
53-12-11 record, making him
the winningest head coach in
program history. The Moun-
taineers have experienced
recent success at the national
level, making the NAIA tourna-
ment every year since 2017.
“I think it’s defi nitely about
bringing in the right stu-
dent-athlete who is going to be
a good fi t for what we’re trying
to accomplish,” Plocher said.
“We bring in competitive young
ladies that are willing to put in
the work and understand that
it’s bigger than them, it’s about
the team.”
DAVIS
CARBAUGH
CARBAUGH’S CORNER
COVID-19
spike raises
concerns
ust when it looked like
sports would be fully
back to normal in 2021,
the delta variant and a spike
in COVID-19 numbers have
thrown a wrench in those plans.
Following the July 29
announcement by Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown mandating masks
in schools this fall, OSAA fol-
lowed suit in mandating mask
usage for indoor athletics. Vol-
leyball is the only indoor fall
sport in Union County, but
the mandate will also have an
impact on training and con-
gregating indoors for the other
three outdoor sports.
Ultimately, the decision
changes the status very little
from where OSAA left off in
the spring season. However, the
end of the 2021 spring season
appeared to be a step toward
normalcy in the sports world.
Fans were allowed on larger
scales for district wrestling
matches and vaccinated players
and fans took off their face cov-
erings toward the end of basket-
ball season.
Most athletic directors seem
to be rolling with the punches,
keeping in mind the ultimate
goal of giving student-athletes
a safe sports season. Powder
Valley AD Brad Dunten even
noted that the constant fl uctua-
tion in mandates and scheduling
prepared his coaches and ath-
letes to expect the unexpected.
The recent mask mandates
for schools have drawn criti-
cism from some in the com-
munity, with a large crowd
demonstrating their frustration
at the La Grande School Board
meeting on Wednesday, Aug.
4. With that being said, sports
could face challenges if ath-
letes, coaches or families voice
disagreements. It remains to be
ruled offi cially, but there seems
to be a possibility that limits
could be put in place again for
fan attendance at events.
In La Grande School District
Superintendent George Men-
doza’s letter regarding Gov.
Brown’s mandate, a major detail
was included involving sports
eligibility.
Student-athletes who par-
ticipate in online, in-person or
the school district’s homeschool
program will be eligible to par-
ticipate in sports and clubs.
The unfortunate swing of
events has led to a step back-
ward in terms of sports partic-
ipation and attendance. With
that being said, the mandates
and precautions still outdo a
completely canceled season. As
coaches, athletes and staff pre-
pare for the fall seasons, we are
left crossing our fi ngers for low-
ered numbers and a return to
normal.
J
Tomás Carradero/Contributed Photo
Eastern Oregon’s Sarah Mitchell, center, controls the ball as Corban’s Hannah Shore approaches during the Mountaineers’
win in the 2019 Cascade Collegiate Conference semifi nals. Mitchell, a reigning honorable mention NAIA all-American, is
one of several key players returning for the Mountaineers in 2021.
The Mountaineers are just
three seasons removed from
the team’s fi rst-ever trip to
the NAIA championship site
in 2018, when Eastern lost a
3-0 matchup against William
Carey in the round of 16. The
Mountaineers again made his-
tory one year later, ending
their 2019 season in the NAIA
quarterfi nals.
With recent success comes
high expectations, but the
Mountaineers are handling off -
season preparation the same as
any other year.
“We’re going to try to take
it one game at a time,” Plocher
said.
Key returners
Four returning seniors are
using the NAIA’s extend-
ed-eligibility rule for the 2021
season.
Of that group, 2020 leading
goal scorer Morgan Farrington
stands out as a crucial piece in
Eastern’s midfi eld. Farrington
fi nished the 2019 season tied for
most assists on the team with
seven, second in points with 29
and second in goals with 11.
Eastern’s two 2020 NAIA
Honorable Mention All-Amer-
icans return to the pitch this
year, with Cassidy Quick
anchoring the defense and
Sarah Mitchell in midfi eld.
Kaitlyn McLeod adds
another veteran presence in the
midfi eld next to Farrington,
coming off a year in which she
scored three goals and tallied
six points. In 2019, McLeod
was one of two Mountaineers to
start all 23 games.
Following the depar-
ture of goalkeeper Savannah
Hutchinson, rising junior Kiara
Fontanilla looks poised to be
the starter in net this year for
Eastern. Fontanilla started six
games in 2020 behind seven
starts from Hutchinson, but
Fontanilla allowed only one
goal to Hutchinson’s six. In
addition, the Mountaineers
went 5-0-1 in games with Fon-
tanilla in net during the 2020
season, while the team was
2-2-2 with Hutchinson. The
California native tallied 19
saves and fi ve shutouts last
season.
“Our players have been able
to have success and they’ve
stayed hungry and humble,”
Plocher said. “They’re looking
forward to continuing to move
the program forward and con-
tinue to build their legacy.”
New additions
The Mountaineers made
moves in recruitment this off -
season, bringing in 10 new
players. Of those 10, seven are
true freshmen and three are
transfers from other programs.
One familiar face stands out
from the group of newcomers,
as redshirt senior Natalie Goeth
transferred back to Eastern
after playing the past three sea-
sons for Arizona Christian.
Goeth started her career with
the Mountaineers in 2017 and
earned Honorable Mention
All-CCC as a freshman.
Senior midfi elder Lexi
Maslowski joins the program
after spending two seasons
with Division I Austin Peay
State University. The Moun-
taineers also added junior
defender Alexandria Segeberg
from Life Pacifi c University. Of
the seven incoming freshmen,
three come from Washington,
three hail from Idaho and mid-
fi elder Gracie Hoover is from
Alaska.
“Our recruiting class that
we’ve brought in is probably the
strongest from top to bottom
that we’ve had,” Plocher said.
“I defi nitely see the possibility
of all of them contributing and
allowing us to be as deep as we
usually are in the past.”
Ready to play
Eastern opens its season on
Tuesday, Aug. 10, in a scrim-
mage against Columbia Basin
College in Pasco, Washington.
The regular season begins
with a matchup on the road at
Embry-Riddle against Spring
Arbor, a team that has made the
NAIA semifi nals two out of the
last three years.
The Mountaineers play their
fi rst home game against West-
mont on Monday, Sept. 13.
The Cascade Collegiate Con-
ference announced its commit-
ment to plan for the 2021-22
sports season on July 2. How-
ever, the recent COVID-19
spike brings the possibility of
alterations to sports schedules
as well as fan attendance poli-
cies. As of now, the Mountain-
eers are set to play six home
games at Community Stadium
in La Grande.
SPORTS SHORT
Ducks defensive backs facing charges for alleged shooting
By JAMES CREPEA
The Oregonian
EUGENE — Two of Ore-
gon’s starting defensive backs are
facing charges following their
alleged shooting of three people
with an airsoft gun late Tuesday,
Aug. 3.
Ducks nickel safety Jamal Hill
and boundary cornerback DJ James
are each facing three charges of
reckless endangering, assault,
unlawful discharge of a fi rearm,
and disorderly conduct, according
to Eugene police.
Police said a man reported
being shot in the face with a “real-
istic-looking airsoft gun at 14th
and Willamette by someone in a
sedan that had driven past him,”
at 11:44 p.m. Aug. 3. Two other
people reported similar incidents
in a close time and proximity,
including one riding an elec-
tric scooter who claimed he was
“almost hit by the vehicle as it left
the area,” police said.
The vehicle was spotted by
responding offi cers near 11th and
Willamette and Hill and James
were cooperative, said police, who
cited them for the aforementioned
charges in lieu of arrest.
“We have high standards and
expectations for the student-ath-
letes in our program,” Oregon
coach Mario Cristobal said via
a spokesman. “We were made
aware of the situation and are in
process of gathering all of the
related information, after which
we will take appropriate action.”
Under Oregon law, reckless
endangering is a Class A misde-
meanor, disorderly conduct is a
Class B misdemeanor, unlawful use
of a weapon is a Class C felony and
assault can be either a misdemeanor
or felony depending on charges.
Class A misdemeanors are sub-
ject to a $6,250 fi ne and/or one year
in jail, Class B misdemeanors are
subject to a $2,500 fi ne and/or six
months in jail and Class C felo-
nies can result in up to fi ve years in
prison and/or a $125,000 fi ne.
Ashley Landis/The Associated Press, File
Oregon safety Jamal Hill (19) celebrates during the Pac-12 Conference
championship against USC on Dec 18, 2020, in Los Angeles.