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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 North Medford�s Luis Cabrera, right, battles a South Eugene player for the ball during Tuesday�s match. A constant drizzle turned into a light snow during the chilly encounter to make the Class 4A second-round affair even more challenging for the teams. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli North goes south in Round 2 Late surge by second-ranked South Eugene puts halt to Black Tornado boys soccer season By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune It’s not unusual for the South Eugene boys soccer team to put its coaches and fans through the emotional ringer during games. The Cardiac Kids, as many of the South Eugene faithful refer to their team, have had an uncanny knack for slipping in the game-winning goal in the waning minutes of a contest, leaving onlookers emotionally spent. The defending state co-champion Axemen narrowly slipped out of Saturday’s first-round game, then duplicated the feat Tuesday with a sloppy, 2-0 victory over North Medford at Hoffbuhr Field. The game was scoreless until South Eugene punched in the first goal with about 10 minutes remaining. Advertisement The Axemen move on to a third-round contest against Centennial, a 2-1 winner over McMinnville, on Saturday. "We’ve been doing this all year long," said South Eugene coach Colin McMillen following the second-round win. "We play with such effort and heart. I’m so proud of the way we competed." North Medford not only had the task of competing against the state’s No. 2 team, but the weather wasn’t conducive for a well-played soccer match. A light rain that sopped the field at the outset turned into snow late in the contest as temperatures slowly dipped into the mid 30s. "I thought the kids gave it their all," said North 12th-year coach Rich Garcia, whose team was the No. 2 seed out of the Southern Oregon Conference. "Ya know, the weather was a factor, but it affected both sides. It actually may have affected them even more with their speed." Both teams struggled with their footing and neither settled into an offensive rhythm due to the muddy field. South Eugene, the Midwestern League champion, controlled possession for most of the match and finally broke through in the 69th minute. Senior Michael Barnes headed home the initial goal amidst a pack of North defenders from about 10 yards out. Junior Emanuel Luvert tacked on the final score with just under a minute remaining. The Axemen finished with an 18-5 advantage in shots. "I thought we played them pretty well," said Garcia. "Our kids came in a little inexperienced, and that can be tough against the defending state champs. After today, I thought we gained a ton of experience." The Black Tornado had few quality attempts in the first half, but Richard Snapp nearly broke the scoreless tie late in the opening 40 minutes. Sophomore midfielder Dustin Andries lofted a ball into the goal box from right to left with Snapp, who was playing with a cast due to surgery on a broken thumb, running under. The senior forward’s sliding attempt sailed just over the cross bar to keep the game scoreless into the break. North Medford, which upset the Metro League’s No. 2 team, Southridge, 2-1 on Saturday, finished the season 8-7-2. Despite the playoff defeat, the season was a giant leap forward from last year’s disappointment. North fell to seventh place in the SOC with a 1-6 mark in 2002, but rebounded with a 5-2 record and a share of the conference title. This season also marked the first time the Tornado had recorded a win over cross-town rival South Medford since 1999. South Medford claimed the No. 1 spot after a playoff seeding contest with the Tornado. North graduates only two seniors — Snapp and outside midfielder Erik Higgins — but returns leading scorer Luis Cabrera, a junior, along with 12 other juniors and three sophomores. "This season was a big success for us," said Garcia, the SOC coach of the year. "We made it this far and lost to a very good team, and we also put two guys on the first team (all-SOC). "You never like to lose, but the kids deserved to have a season like this after the hard work they’ve put in." Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4480 or e-mail [email protected] . 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