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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, November 15, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 14, 2004 This time, Catlin Gabel has Crusaders’ number In rematch of past two state title games, Eagles advance with 1-0 victory By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Many in the know considered the Class 2A/1A boys soccer semifinal between St. Mary’s and visiting Catlin Gabel to be the pseudo state title game. There was good reason beforehand, even better reason afterward. The game pitted the state finalists of the past two seasons and was eerily similar to the 2003 title game: skillful, spirited play throughout, only to be decided by a late goal. This time, however, Catlin Gabel walked off the winner, 1-0, to advance to next Saturday’s championship. Advertisement "It’s definitely bittersweet, with a late goal as it was," said St. Mary’s coach Matt Faurot. "Having the deadlock broken so late in the game, it feels like the rug was pulled out from underneath us." The Eagles scored in the 71st minute, Brendan Douglas getting a mouth-watering, one-on-one opportunity in front of the St. Mary’s goal and delivering. But if there was one group unwilling to sympathize with the Crusaders’ plight, it would be Catlin Gabel. St. Mary’s won state a year ago, 1-0, when Austin Grant scored with only 22 seconds left in overtime. "That was a big part of our motivation," said Douglas. "We were very focused and wanted to win very badly. That was apparent in everyone’s play." His coach, Mike Davis, echoed those sentiments, noting that, in particular, eight seniors on his roster drew incentive from last year’s result and, simply, from playing St. Mary’s. The two teams have met four times, and three of the games have been decided by one goal. "It’s a shame we had to meet in the semifinals," said Davis. "These are two very good teams. We just took advantage of the opportunity we had." The game was played at St. Mary’s, rather than on the artificial turf of Spiegelberg Stadium, where some Crusader home games have been held. There was method to the scheduling. Playing on the school’s smaller, muddier field was intended to hamper the effectiveness of Catlin Gabel, which plays on a large artificial field. Davis countered with a game plan of downfield attacking, hoping to get a few breaks with his forwards. It seemed to work as most of the first half was spent in St. Mary’s half of the field and Catlin Gabel enjoyed the better scoring opportunities. Douglas actually put one in the net late in the first half, but it was disallowed because he crashed into Crusaders goalkeeper Dylan Bourke and dislodged the ball, thereby setting up the chance. Another opportunity for the Eagles went awry when Evan Caplan, coming across the goal mouth, couldn’t convert a cross pass from Hunter Jarrett. St. Mary’s (15-2), meanwhile, focused on ball control. "We possessed the ball much better in the first half," said Faurot. "It was still early, and people were still pretty calm. There was a lot of time left, and there wasn’t as much pressure." In the second half, urgency set in. Play became more erratic and passing combinations broke down. Going into the game, Faurot expected it would be a tight contest decided by one goal. "Sure enough," he said, "it’s a one-on-one through ball that decides the game." Douglas did the honors, taking a feed from midfielder David Kellogg in front of the St. Mary’s goal. "It was a great through ball," said Douglas. "I saw their keeper come out, and I was able to slide it to the far post." It ended a string of other missed chances in the second half. Bourke had deflected a dandy header by David Schwartz off a corner kick; Kellogg drew oohs and aahs with a powerful smash that was wide left; Jarrett then had one shot deflected and another fine scoring opportunity miss high. Only after that did St. Mary’s best opening come. Josh Jones took a corner kick from Eric Melchiori and blasted it into Ted Lane, the Eagles’ all-state keeper. Jones then tried to deposit the rebound but was thwarted. Soon after, Douglas found the net. With a score on the board and minutes ticking away, St. Mary’s made a valiant run at tying the score. On one sequence, Jones charged in and challenged Lane from the left side. "All I could think about was getting the ball in the net," said the Crusaders’ senior forward. "Their goalie came out, and I tried to get by him, but he’s a very good keeper and I couldn’t do it." Duncan MacDiarmid then sent a header toward the goal that caromed off both the crossbar and the right post. "The game could have gone either way," said Jones. "That shot Duncan had was really close." Time ran out before St. Mary’s would get another solid crack at scoring. One reason Catlin Gabel had trouble finding the net was the defensive job Melchiori did on Kellogg, the Eagles’ most dangerous weapon. Grant ordinarily would have marked Kellogg, but Faurot wanted to free up Grant to aid the Crusaders’ attack. "The boys chose Eric to mark him, and I’ve never seen a player taken out of his game as much as Kellogg was today," said Faurot. "Eric denied him every opportunity. They like to play through him, and they couldn’t do it." They did manage, however, to play through to the final round. Catlin Gabel faces Portland Christian-De La Salle winner for the title. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, 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 © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities