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53 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, November 29, 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 October 13, 2003 One fine mess With just one week left in the regular season, the SOC boys race features a four-way tie for first place that extends to six teams within a match of the conference lead By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune Soon, it will all be sorted out. Right now, it’s a mess, however beautiful it may look to some of the protagonists. With one week to go and three matches to play, the Southern Oregon Conference boys soccer race is as muddled as an up-close look at a Monet. Advertisement A four-way tie for first place extends to six teams within a match of the conference lead. "It’s one of those years where it gives us all hope," says North Medford head coach Rich Garcia, whose squad is part of the quartet that tops the SOC at 3-1 in league play. "It’s great." South Medford, Ashland and Roseburg are also 3-1, while Crater and Grants Pass remain in the fray at 2-2. Each team completes its conference slate with matches Tuesday, Saturday and the following Tuesday, Oct. 21. "It’s crazy, absolutely crazy," says Eisa Tiaa Tutu, Ashland’s head coach. "Sometimes the soccer ball takes its own turns." That seems to be the case this fall, especially in Roseburg’s upset of fourth-ranked South Medford last Tuesday. Despite the Panthers’ substantial possession and shot advantages, the Indians forged a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime, then beat South, 4- 3, in a shootout for the 2-1 victory. "It was one of the games where we let ‘em hang around," says Spencer Hunter, the Panthers’ standout senior sweeper. "They probably had about two good shots, and we probably had about 20. But when you let a team like that hang around and it goes into a shootout, they’re probably gonna win because they have all the momentum." South’s 15-match SOC winning streak fell by the wayside. "I think that with Roseburg beating South, it proves to everybody else that they can beat anybody," says Crater head coach Chris Gallegos. "We know that every game is gonna be a war." Tuesday, South is at Ashland, North hosts Grants Pass and Crater travels to Roseburg in matches with enormous playoff implications. Saturday, South goes to Crater, North heads to Roseburg, Ashland plays at Eagle Point (0-4 SOC) and Grants Pass buses over to Klamath Union (0-4 SOC). The regular season concludes next Tuesday with South hosting North at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park, Ashland at Klamath Union, Roseburg at Grants Pass and Crater at home against Eagle Point. Any of the six contenders could be holding the SOC crown when all is played and done. Garcia and the Black Tornado, coming off a 4-0 humbling of Ashland, hope it’s them. "We’re not waiting for anybody," says Garcia, whose team has rebounded from an uncharacteristic 1-6 mark in the SOC a year ago. "If we win out, we can do this. We need to be able to take care of our business, then we can do what we wanna do." At the same time, Garcia is hesitant to name anyone but the Panthers the favorite, even with their recent defeat. "I still think South has got the potential to go and beat everybody," says the 12th-year head coach. Hunter won’t argue with that. "I think it’s actually probably gonna help us," he says of the loss to Roseburg, "because it woke most of the guys on the team up. They now realize we need to work hard to get into the playoffs, and we’re not just gonna automatically win." Garcia, Tiaa Tutu and Gallegos all agree that, in general, the quality of play is higher than normal in the conference this year, and that’s why the playoff picture is so cloudy. "A lot of teams are improved," says Tiaa Tutu, who’s in his sixth season with the Grizzlies. "Crater has developed very well, and Roseburg has come out of nowhere. ... Teams in different areas are getting stronger and hungrier." Besides the aforementioned Roseburg upset of South and North blanking of Ashland, some other already completed head-to-head results may increase in importance if tiebreakers come into play. The Panthers’ biggest league victory is a 2-1 win over Grants Pass; Ashland owns victories of 3-0 and 2-1 over Grants Pass and Roseburg, respectively; the Cavemen defeated Crater, 2-0; and the Comets knocked off North, 2-1. "Let all the other cards fall," says Gallegos, who hopes to direct Crater to a second straight postseason berth in his second year in charge. "We just have to keep winning." That’s the mantra for six squads within reach of an SOC championship. 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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