SPORTS
A6 — THE OBSERVER
SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2021
WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER
Unfi nished business at EOU
Experienced women’s
soccer standout
Natalie Goeth returns
to Mountaineers
DAVIS
CARBAUGH
CARBAUGH’S CORNER
The Observer
Fitting back in
Head women’s soccer
coach Jacob Plocher is more
than pleased to have Goeth
back on the roster, noting that
it also helps with the transition
of this year’s newcomers into
ver the past couple weeks, school
boards across Union County have
faced diffi cult decisions regarding
mask mandates in school. Due to the
implication of potential fi nes and loss of
teaching licenses for not complying, there
is not much of a decision to be made.
With their backs against the wall, sev-
eral school boards such as La Grande and
Union have adopted plans for returning to
school with masks required amid oppo-
sition from parents and community
members.
While the health and safety of students
is always the priority, sports will likely
see an impact from the mandate as well.
The Oregon School Activities Associa-
tion, in accordance with Gov. Kate Brown’s
requirement for schools, announced that
masks will be required for indoor sports
and events this fall. Athletes and coaches
are mostly used to those rules after last
season, but the tension from parents against
the mandate could have a ripple eff ect.
At local school board meetings, a
number of parents have stated they will
homeschool their children outside of their
respective school districts. Not only does
this impact the school’s funding based on
total enrollment, but it also adds eligibility
issues for sports. Student-athletes who are
home-schooled or learn virtually through
the district may compete in sports this year,
but students homeschooled outside of the
district will not be eligible.
School enrollment also plays a factor in
how divisions are implemented for sports,
so there may be changes if a large number
of parents take their children out of their
districts.
For most athletic directors in the area,
the masks are just a small hurdle in pro-
viding student-athletes with the best overall
experience. Coaches and athletes just want
to go out and compete, especially after a
year fi lled with cancellations and shortened
seasons.
The 2021 season off ers hope for a much
more normal sports environment compared
to last year, but lingering issues over masks
could prove to be a stumbling block.
——
Davis Carbaugh covers news and sports
for The Observer. He can be contacted at
dcarbaugh@lagrandeobserver.com.
O
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
LA GRANDE — Natalie
Goeth is back at Eastern
Oregon University to fi nish
what she started.
The 2017 honorable men-
tion All-CCC defender left the
program after her freshman
year, but returns to Eastern
to play her redshirt-senior
season in La Grande. After
spending three seasons at Ari-
zona Christian University and
earning her undergraduate
degree, Goeth transferred back
to Eastern to fi nish her career
as a Mountaineer.
“I’m just looking to bring
intensity,” Goeth said. “At
practice I’m able to bring com-
petition and hopefully I’ll play
during the season and help the
team get as far as we can go.”
Goeth rejoins a women’s
soccer program at Eastern that
is coming off a 3-2 fi rst-round
loss in the NAIA tournament.
The Mountaineers compiled
a 8-2-3 record in an abnormal
spring season and qualifi ed
for the NAIA tournament for
the fourth straight season. In
her time away, Goeth still kept
up with the successes of her
former team.
“Seeing them doing better
in recent years, I wanted to
be a part of it again and fi nish
where I started,” she said.
“Coming back had to do with
the environment of the team
and the competitiveness of the
school and the players.”
Return of the
mask mandate
Kathleen Brown/Contributed Photo
Natalie Goeth, No. 3, high-fi ves teammates during her freshman season with Eastern Oregon University in 2017.
After spending three years at Arizona Christian University, Goeth transferred back to EOU to play her redshirt-
senior season with the Mountaineers.
the program. Unlike incoming
freshmen who take time to
acclimate to collegiate ath-
letics, Goeth is expected to fi t
right in as a veteran presence
on the team.
“When she came in
freshman year she was a
great player for us and started
almost every game,” Plocher
said. “I never wanted her to
leave in the fi rst place.”
According to Plocher, the
Eastern coaching staff was
excited to build around Goeth
back in 2017. She ultimately
left in order to be closer to
friends and family in the Ari-
zona area. Plocher received a
phone call from Goeth about
two months ago expressing
interest to rejoin the program.
After three years away, Goeth
is looking to jump right back
into a Mountaineers team that
is ranked No. 10 in the NAIA
preseason coaches’ poll.
“I think undoubtedly
there’s potential for the team
to go back to Alabama this
year and I hope we can make
it farther than last year,”
Goeth said.
Winning atmosphere
For Goeth, the team atmo-
sphere and overall work ethic
drew her back to La Grande.
“I really like all the girls
and their attitudes toward
practice,” she said. “When I
go to practice, it’s something
that everyone is excited to
do. They just bring it, it’s not
something that’s a chore.”
Goeth’s experience on
the fi eld will help her transi-
tion into the team’s rotation
according to Plocher. The
defender started 11 games
for Arizona Christian last
season and was nominated as
a Golden State Athletic Con-
ference Scholar-Athlete.
Due to an injury-caused
redshirt season at Arizona
Christian in 2018, Goeth still
has two years of eligibility
remaining. Plocher says the
plan is to take it year-by-year,
as she studies for her master’s
degree of science in education
at Eastern.
For the Mountain-
eers, Goeth brings two
important aspects: versatility
and experience.
“She’s a versatile player
that we can plug in anywhere
and she’ll contribute,” Plocher
said. “She’s a smart, feisty
player with a great work rate
who really fi ts in with players
we have in the program.”
After three years away,
the return to the La Grande
area is a welcome change for
Goeth.
“I’m happy to be here and
I like having that small-town
feel again,” she said. “It’s nice
to have that close-knit com-
munity and to see a lot of the
people again.”
The Mountaineers started
their season against No. 3
Spring Arbor in a neutral site
game in Prescott, Arizona,
on Friday, Aug. 20. Two days
later, Eastern will square off
against the tournament host,
Embry-Riddle. In her return
to the Mountaineers, Goeth
hopes to start the 2021 season
on a good note.
“I’m expecting us to do
well,” Goeth said. “I’m hoping
that we start the season 2-0
in Arizona.”
SPORTS SHORT
Washington State football coach says
he intends to follow vaccine mandate
The Associated Press
PULLMAN, Wash. —
Washington State football
coach Nick Rolovich said
Thursday, Aug. 19, that
he intends to follow a new
state mandate requiring
COVID-19 vaccinations
for all people working at
the state’s colleges and
universities, including
coaches.
Rolovich had said pre-
viously that he was not
going to get the vaccine
for personal reasons and
did not explicitly say that
he would receive a shot.
“I’m just going to
follow (the governor’s)
mandate,” he said.
The mandate
announced this week by
Washington Gov. Jay
Inslee also covers public,
The Associated Press
Washington State head coach
Nick Rolovich watches his
players during football prac-
tice, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in
Pullman, Washington.
charter and private school
teachers and staff . It allows
for religious or medical
exemptions but does not
allow for a weekly testing
alternative, and those who
are not fully vaccinated
by Oct. 18 risk losing their
jobs.
Asked if he would wait
for full FDA approval
before receiving the vac-
cine, Rolovich repeated his
plan to follow the mandate.
Rolovich is begin-
ning his second season
in charge of the Cougars.
He participated in Pac-12
media day last month
remotely after announcing
his decision not to get vac-
cinated. His announce-
ment had drawn atten-
tion from the top levels
of the state government.
Rolovich is one of two
state employees making
more than $3 million,
along with Washington
coach Jimmy Lake.
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