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Prom the big hindrance for Rogue Valley all-star teams By DON HUNT The greatest obstacle facing two Rogue Valley all-star soccer teams heading to Portland today for the finals of the Snickers State Cup might not be their opponents. Rather, it was Friday night's junior-senior prom at South Medford High. Four of the top players on Sally Staver's U19 boys team and three of the best players on Craig Warren's U19 girls team attended the prom and had to be on the road at 5 a.m. today for a five-hour trip to Tualatin Hills Recreation Center in Beaverton. Both teams play at 11:30 a.m. today in what amounts to state championship games at the club level. Staver's team, the Rogue Valley Crew, meets Football Club Portland while Warren's squad, Rogue United, meets Portland City United. The winning teams advance to the Western Regionals at Albuquerque, N.M., June 24-30. "You'd like to give them a 10 o'clock curfew but these are seniors in high school on prom night," Staver said. "I asked them to rein things in a little bit and then let's really celebrate after we win the State Cup." The Crew defeated Lake Oswego 1-0, Beaverton 6-0 and Keizer Gold 1-0 in earlier rounds of the State Cup tournament. The Medford team's only loss in the tourney was 3-1 to Football Club Portland, the same opponent it faces in today's championship match. The Crew has an overall record of 5-3-6 since beginning play in February. "We're going to have to be at our best, but this is a winnable game," said Staver, noting that her team twice tied Football Club Portland earlier this spring. "We're playing extremely well right now. Our game against Keizer last Sunday was the best I've seen us play in a long time." The Crew's offense is paced by South Medford striker Pat Lower and Klamath Union striker Alex Casey, a sprinter on his school's track team. "He's about as fast as anyone I've seen all year," Staver says of Casey. The South Medford trio of sweeper Craig Tomlins, stopper Corey Parks and goalie Kyle Hadley headline the Crew's defense. Those three, along with midfielder Josh Neville, were the boys attending the prom. Rogue United, meanwhile, has posted an 8-2-2 record. It beat Portland City United - today's opponent - 3-0 and Corvallis 4-1 earlier in the State Cup tournament. Malloree Enoch, a junior at North Valley, registered a hat trick in last Saturday's victory over Corvallis. Rogue United's defense has been its greatest strength as the team has posted five shutouts and yielded just three goals since beginning play in February. Goalie Alicia Pilcher of Grants Pass, stopper Kathleen Narus of South Medford and fullbacks Noelle Reed and Lindsey Hawk of South Medford headline the defense, while midfielders Emily Perttu of South Medford and Jessica Bullen of Ashland have aided the defensive cause and routinely set up Enoch and Kali Warren of North Medford for scores. "Pilcher is one of the best goalies I've seen," coach Craig Warren says. "She's very athletic, has very good hands and she positions herself very well." Perttu, Narus and Reed were the girls attending the prom. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.