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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
BOYS SOCCER
Astoria scores
road win at Banks
BANKS — A short-handed
Astoria team played well enough
to win on the road Thursday, a
3-1 victory at Banks in a Cowapa
League boys soccer game.
The Fishermen built a 2-0 half-
time lead behind goals from Cole
Beeson and Christian Medina-Pe-
rez, and each team had one goal
in the second half, as Josh Condit
scored off an assist from Beeson
for Astoria’s third goal.
Astoria keeper Jake Hurd took
it from there, limiting the Braves
to one goal, as the Braves had nine
shots on goal, five on frame.
“Jake did a good job in goal
today,” said Astoria coach Lee
Cain. “And Banks played hard. A
credit to Banks.”
Astoria was missing four play-
ers, including three starters, out
with illnesses.
The Fishermen return home for
three straight games, against Scap-
poose, Valley Catholic and a pos-
sible first-place showdown with
Seaside Oct. 10 at CMH Field.
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
First-place
Seaside wins at
Tillamook, 2-0
TILLAMOOK — Seaside
continues to close in on the state’s
top ranking at the 4A level, as the
Gulls scored another win Thurs-
day, 2-0 at Tillamook.
The Gulls led nine seconds
into the game, with Colton Carter
scoring off an assist from Chase
Januik.
Carter scored on a penalty kick
for the second goal, as Seaside
scored its third shutout win of the
season.
VOLLEYBALL
Valley Catholic
sweeps Astoria
in big showdown
BEAVERTON — In a
much-anticipated Cowapa League
showdown, Astoria’s two-match
win streak came to a quick halt
Thursday as No. 1-ranked Val-
ley Catholic scored a three-game
sweep over the visiting Fisher-
men, 25-18, 25-11, 25-18, in vol-
leyball action in Beaverton.
In other Cowapa League
matches Thursday, Scappoose
defeated Seaside 25-14, 25-18,
26-24; and Tillamook outlasted
Banks in five, 25-20, 25-27, 15-25,
25-18, 15-11.
— The Daily Astorian
SCOREBOARD
PREP SCHEDULE
TODAY
Football — Astoria at Seaside, 7 p.m.;
Corbett at Warrenton, 7 p.m.; Knappa at
Nestucca, 7 p.m.; South Bend at Ilwaco,
7 p.m.; Taholah at Naselle, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
Cross Country — Nike Portland XC,
9 a.m.
The Astoria Fishermen offense chases a loose ball during Thursday’s soccer match against Banks.
Lady Fishermen defeat
Banks Braves in 1-0 win
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
The Banks Braves fought the “Law”
Thursday night at CMH Field, and the Law
won.
The Astoria girls soccer team did not have
an abundance of shots on goal in the Cow-
apa League match, but when you have the
best goalkeeper in the league, you don’t need
many.
Astoria scored on one of its two shots on
goal in the first half, and goalkeeper Lexi Law
did the rest, shutting out the Braves in a 1-0
win for the Lady Fishermen.
And now the Lady Fish find themselves in
a place where they haven’t been for a while, if
ever: challenging for a league title as they near
the midway point of the season.
Astoria improves to 5-2-1 overall (equal-
ing a 5-2-1 start in 2010) and 3-1 in league
play, just a half-game behind Scappoose and
Valley Catholic, both 3-0 (the Indians and Val-
iants played Thursday night, but no score was
reported).
Astoria has pretty much secured a top three
spot in league, as Banks drops to fourth place,
at 1-3. And now the Fishermen can set their
sights on the Indians and Valiants, Astoria’s
next two opponents, both on the road.
“I was pleased with the first half,” said
Astoria coach Tim Fastabend. “We controlled
for most of the half, but we couldn’t seem to
string together that third pass. Then Banks
started playing well and had a good second
half.”
And so did Law.
The senior keeper made six saves in the
first half, then four more in the second.
“The girls have confidence in her, and I
never have to worry about her,” Fastabend
said of his goalie. “She makes all the easy
saves, and makes it look routine. It’s never too
The Astoria Fishermen defense chases down an opponent on Thursday during their
game against Banks. Find more local sports photos online at DailyAstorian.com/sports
exciting with her back there.”
After Astoria controlled the first 20 min-
utes of the game, the Braves put together a
couple of attacks in 23rd minute.
Marissa Dotson was wide left on a free
kick, and Law made the save on a follow-up
attempt by Aspen Slifka.
And Law’s punt down the center of the field
was picked up on the run by Hannah McCar-
ley, who sprinted ahead of the Banks defense
and won the one-on-one with Braves’ keeper
Lillie Breadon, as McCarley’s shot slipped
through Breadon’s hands for the game’s only
goal with 16:33 left in the first half.
Astoria had just two more shots on goal in
the second half, a free kick by Sarah Lertora,
and an open field attempt by Libby Whitsett,
both saved by Breadon.
The Lady Fishermen were short-handed,
playing without goal-scoring freshman Hay-
ley Kelley, who suffered a concussion at
Tillamook.
“We had to move Haley Ranta to the mid-
field from the back line, and Libby Whitsett
has also been doing a great job lately,” Fas-
tabend said. “That’s the good part about this
team — we can put ‘em anywhere, and they
still play well and don’t complain.”
NFL: Message being lost in political firestorm over anthem
Spokesman says
views distorted
By BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
AP Photo/Michael Conroy
Players for the Cleveland Browns
take a knee Sunday during the
national anthem before an NFL
football game against the India-
napolis Colts in Indianapolis. The
NFL says the message players
and teams are trying to express is
being lost in a political firestorm.
NEW YORK — The NFL says the
message players and teams are trying
to express is being lost in a political
firestorm.
The issues have been “overtaken
by political forces,” NFL spokesman
Joe Lockhart said Thursday, referring
to President Trump’s criticism of the
league, team owners and players for
kneeling during the national anthem.
More than 200 players either knelt
or used other means as expressions
of unity last weekend. Lockhart said
such actions are not a protest against
the anthem or the flag.
“One of the impacts is to distort the
views of the NFL and particularly our
players,” Lockhart said.
Trump said NFL owners fear their
players, and he renewed calls for
action against those who kneel during
the anthem.
“I think they are afraid of their
players, if you want to know the truth,
and I think it’s disgraceful,” he said
in an interview that aired Thursday
on “Fox and Friends.” He says “most
people agree” with him.
The players knelt last weekend
in response to social injustice. Full
teams, along with some team owners,
linked arms either before or during the
anthem. Three teams — Pittsburgh,
Seattle and Tennessee — did not take
the field until after the anthem.
“They are under attack now and
the (original) lesson has been forgot-
ten,” Lockhart said. “It is important for
everyone to understand what they are
talking about, to not see everything in
terms of who is up or down politically.
“The NFL players are men of char-
acter, many of whom are leaders in
their community. They are patriotic,
support the military. … They under-
stand their platform can be used to
make the country a better place.”
Lockhart insisted there will be
no “leaguewide directive” for future
demonstrations.
“This is an issue that should
involve the owners of the 32 clubs,
the coaches and players to work out
together,” he said. “There is very reg-
ular dialogue going on between the
players, coaches and owners. This is
an issue that has sort of gripped the
headlines. We all care very deeply
about this.
“All of our owners don’t always
agree with even each other, and the
players often have a position at odds
with the league, and we work hard to
resolve those,” he added. “We have
been united on this issue.”
‘THE NFL
PLAYERS
ARE MEN OF
CHARACTER.
… THEY
UNDERSTAND
THEIR PLATFORM
CAN BE USED
TO MAKE THE
COUNTRY A
BETTER PLACE.’
Joe Lockhart | NFL spokesman