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46 °F 5 Day Forecast Sunday, November 30, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 5, 2003 Panther boys, girls receive mixed results Heady play by O’Neill boosts South boys past defending co-champs By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune Not rain, nor sleet, nor snow — nor the defending co-state champions — could stop the South Medford boys soccer team Tuesday at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park. The second of Corey O’Neill’s two header goals came with three minutes remaining in regulation and pushed the Panthers to a 2-1 victory over Sheldon in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs. Sixth-ranked South Medford (14-2-1), the Southern Oregon Conference’s No. 1 seed, moves on to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1999, when it was a semifinalist. The Panthers host Central Catholic, a 1-0 winner over Woodburn, on Saturday afternoon. Advertisement O’Neill’s game-winner came amidst a crowded Irish penalty box. South senior sweeper Spencer Hunter drove a free kick near midfield along the right sideline into the area, and junior outside midfielder Bryan Waggener slipped a precision pass to O’Neill directly in front of the goal. The Panthers’ leading scorer had his first shot denied by Sheldon junior goalkeeper Garrett Staples, but O’Neill headed the rebound over Staples and into the right side of the net. "Bryan Waggener hits me a ball through all this defense, and I just turned, shot and Staples had a nice save on me," said O’Neill, a senior who alternated between forward and the central midfield Tuesday. "It comes right back to me, the goal’s wide open, and I just put it right in there. It was awesome." So awesome was the victory, in fact, that sixth-year head coach Dave Potter rates it South’s biggest since a quarterfinals upset of nationally ranked South Eugene in ‘99. "We know how good Sheldon is and have a tremendous amount of respect for them," Potter said of the Irish, who tied South Eugene for the state title last year and entered Tuesday’s match ranked third and as the Midwestern League’s No. 2 seed. "We thought, going into this match, if we could stay with them in shots, we would be doing very well. We ended up outshooting them, which tells you just what kind of game the boys put together on the field." The Panthers created a 13-8 edge in shots in a match that was well-played despite wintry weather ranging from drizzling, icy rain to snow showers in the final minutes. "They’re a strong team, and so are we," said Sheldon seventh-year head coach Mac Wilson, whose team finished 11-3-2. "Unfortunate one of has to lose. ... I think the physical play became more important because it was so fast and slippery out here." O’Neill, a first-team all-SOC performer, gave South an early lead by heading home junior forward Shane Holiday’s cross to complete a pretty sequence. After the Panthers won the ball in the midfield, senior defensive central midfielder Andrew Egan dished to O’Neill, who found senior forward Joel Connors up front. Connors laid the ball back to O’Neill, who sent Holiday down the right sideline and then sprinted for the far post. "I see Shane running out of the corner of my eye toward that right flag, and he sends the greatest balls in practice, so I know if I send it over to him, he’s gonna send me a great ball back," O’Neill said. "Fortunately, the defenders left me, and I was just sitting there. That’s all we worked on in practice, placing the headers, and there you go." O’Neill’s header from the left side nestled into the right corner of the net in the 17th minute. "I knew Corey’d be there," Holiday said of his right-footed cross. South protected its 1-0 cushion until midway through the second half, when Sheldon won the ball deep in Panthers’ territory and finished. Irish sophomore forward Ross Erickson maneuvered past one South defender, then junior forward Jordan Crasilneck took over and bent a right-footed shot from near the top of the penalty box into the left corner. A few minutes later, a possible Crasilneck breakaway was flagged offside by a linesman, much to the disbelief of the Sheldon bench. South then calmed to create a couple good chances even before O’Neill’s final tally. Potter was impressed by his team’s composure. "Nobody panicked," he said. "I was confident that we would continue getting opportunities at a great number than Sheldon." Hunter, the SOC player of the year, said the Panthers’ attitude was the key difference from a scoreless nonconference tie with the Irish on Sept. 19. "We just kept our composure a lot better today," he said. "Last time, we were unused to the speed of play. Today, the ground was fast, the ball was fast, it’s snowing. I think we just kept it all together better and just finished better, too. We made good on two kind of half-chances, which is what you need to do to win big games." The Irish earned three corner kicks to South’s two and committed 14 infractions to the Panthers’ 12. Staples and South junior goalkeeper Mike Belzberg made five saves apiece. The big difference between winning and losing Tuesday was O’Neill, in Potter’s mind. "Corey was the impact player of the game," he said. "Everybody had to play well today, but you don’t win a game of this nature without having some stars step up. (Assistant coach Rob Saunders) and I marveled where Corey was on the field all game. He was in the center, up front, back in the defensive third, then positioning himself in the attack very well. ... He won a lot of admiration today from the players around him." To O’Neill, he was just making "a dream come true. "We’re in the final eight. This is where we should be." Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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