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PREP SOCCER: Comets jump into first in MWL By Mail Tribune staff Updated: Oct 22, 2022 09:52 PM A A SPRINGFIELD — In a tightly bunched group atop the Midwestern League standings, the Crater boys soccer team will be heading into the final week of the regular season with the chance to control its own destiny. That’s thanks to Crater capturing a 1-0 win over Springfield on Saturday afternoon, allowing the Comets to leapfrog the previously unbeaten Millers and move into a first-place tie with Ashland — which beat Thurston 2-0 later in the day — with two regular-season games to go. Crater junior Nevan Quirke scored what proved to be the game’s only goal with less than 30 seconds to go in the first half. “It was a full team effort today — especially coming off that disappointing loss against Eagle Point (on Wednesday night),” Crater head coach Jason Tester said. “The kids just kept banding back together and working through the frustrating moments. It was literally 100 miles per hour from goal to goal for 80 straight minutes.” Quirke took a pass from fellow junior Bennett Palodichuk and saw his shot deflected off a pair of Springfield players before finding the back of the net. Crater keeper Diego Estrada made three saves to complete his fifth shutout of the season. Crater’s defense as a whole earned the praise of Tester after keeping Springfield’s attacking trio at bay “Springfield has three extremely talented attackers who work well together, but the defense did a great job,” Tester said. “I’m just really proud of the boys. They really stepped up and keep us alive when it comes to getting into the playoffs.” ASHLAND 2, THURSTON 0: At Springfield, Cash Cota and Luis Uhtoff scored on each side of halftime to help Ashland beat Thurston and stay unbeaten in Midwestern League play. Cota gave the Grizzlies (5-3-2, 3-0-1 MWL) the lead with his 25th-minute goal, initially taking a corner kick before eventually jumping on a failed clearance to slip a shot past the Thurston goalkeeper. Uhtoff doubled the Grizzlies’ lead in the 63rd minute, dribbling around a trio of Colts before unleashing a shot from just outside the 6-yard box. Ashland’s Aiden Espinoza made three big saves in place of starter Mateo Moore, who was out due to illness. The Grizzlies’ backline of Nico Moore, Ari Bandoroff, Gabe Hernandez and Theron Patridge all had strong games to keep Thurston off the scoreboard, while Lupin Paz did well to connect the lines from his midfield spot. EAGLE POINT 0, NORTH EUGENE 0, tie: At Eagle Point, Moses Angel and Gerardo Herrera each had a trio of quality scoring chances but couldn’t convert any of them in a scoreless Midwestern League tie. Central defenders Jameson Struble and Andre Ramirez both had strong games for Eagle Point (4-5-1, 1-2-1 MWL) on defense, organizing the Eagles’ backline well. Eagle Point goalkeeper Angel Cervantes finished with five saves, three of which came in the first half. North Eugene (2-7-1, 0-4-1) saw its best scoring chance hit off the post. ST. MARY’S 7, LAKEVIEW/PAISLEY 0: At Lakeview, Leandro Cronk scored a hat trick in the first half and Chris Kranenburg added a pair of goals as St. Mary’s built a 6-0 cushion by halftime in a District 5 match played under hail and snow conditions. Jose Mondesi also scored in the first half for the Crusaders (11-1, 11-0 Dist. 5), who got a goal from Caleb Johnson in the second half. Lakeview (4-7-1, 4-6-1) created a handful of scoring chances by Jesus Moreno, but Davis Jones came up with a pair of saves in the first half, and Kranenburg had another quality stop in the second half to keep a clean sheet. Girls SOUTH MEDFORD 2, SOUTH EUGENE 1 : Brooke Fairbanks scored South Medford’s opener and then assisted on what proved to be the game-winner to help the Panthers take their regular-season finale. Fairbanks gave the Panthers (9-4-2, 6-4-2 SWC) the lead in the 29th minute, but the Axe quickly evened the score at 1-all. With 7 1/2 minutes before halftime, Fairbanks turned from goal scorer to provider, sending in a pass to Tyler Hampson to put the Panthers back in front at 2-1. South keeper Eve Lynx made a pair of saves as the Panthers’ reworked backline and midfield limited the Axe to just three shots on target. THURSTON 1, ASHLAND 0: At Springfield, Ashland goalkeeper Esme Barnes made an initial save on a free kick near the 29-minute mark, but Thurston was able to capitalize on an own goal for the only tally in the Midwestern League match. Barnes finished with 11 saves for the Grizzlies (7-1-1, 2-1-1 MWL), who saw their string of four straight shutouts snapped by the Colts (10-2, 4-0). Thurston proved to be the aggressor with a 17-7 edge in shots, with a 12-3 advantage in efforts on frame. Iniana Hammond and Lena Caballero Uhtoff created a few scoring chances for Ashland but were turned away. SPRINGFIELD 4, CRATER 0: At Springfield, Springfield was able to build a two-goal lead at the half and pulled away for a MWL victory over Crater in stormy conditions. Crater fell to 4-8-1 overall and 1-4 in the MWL with the loss. soccer.jpg