Document text
Panthers knock off defending state titlist By FRANK SILOW South Medford boys soccer coach Dave Potter never imagined the Panthers could shut out defending state champion and top-ranked South Eugene. But that's exactly what South Medford did in registering a 1-0 victory over the Axemen in the Class 4A state quarterfinals Saturday. Damian Rasmussen's goal at the 62nd minute was all the scoring the Panthers would need to move on in the postseason. "What was amazing is we held them scoreless," said Potter. "The likelihood was very slim." The Southern Oregon Conference runner-up South Medford (12-4-1) advances to the semifinals against Mountain View of Bend, a 4-0 winner over Westview. The Panthers will host the Intermountain Conference champions at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park. South Medford lost a season-opening road match to Mountain View, 2-1. The key to the Panthers' victory was the defensive job put on the 1998 Oregon player of the year, Nate Jaqua. "We marked him from behind just like most teams have to do," said Potter. "We tried to cut off the passing angles to him. That required him to share the ball and give it off to someone else." The Panthers tried to mix up their coverage of Jaqua so other openings wouldn't be available. "They're too good a team that we couldn't afford to double team Jaqua as often as we would have liked," said Potter. "You give up defensive position at other ends of the field." Jaqua, who scored a late goal to tie the Panthers 1-1 in a game earlier in the season, was still on the verge of becoming a factor regardless of the Panthers' defense. "On two occasions, we got a little bit impatient and he blew past a couple of defenders and created dangerous situations," said Potter. The Panthers used the defensive combination of Josh Neville, Bryce Majors, Cory Parks and Ethan Wallenberg to bottle up Jaqua. "Nate's a wonderful player," said South Eugene co-coach Andrew Gregor, "but you can't score when they have four guys on you." The South Medford goal was set up off a throw-in by Majors deep in the Panthers' attacking end. Majors put the ball about 10 yards from the Axemen goal mouth where Adam Walport struck a shot headed for the far post. Rasmussen got a foot on the ball and redirected the ball past fallen South Eugene goalie Brendan Roseta. "There was a crowd there," said Potter. "We flooded the goal mouth with attacking players and they matched our numbers. If anyone could find a way to put the ball in the net, Damian would be the one." South Eugene controlled the tempo in the first half and finished the game with an estimated 3-1 ratio advantage in shots. Panthers goalie Kyle Hadley was under constant pressure, but the junior didn't make any mistakes. "Kyle had to play one of the best games of his life, if not the best game," said Potter. "He played a practically perfect game. He came out exactly when he needed to come out. He played the air ball high and early. He didn't wait for balls to come to him." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.