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North stands firm in title quest Photo from Mail Tribune files North's Heather Johnson, center, will be a force for the Tornado again this season. Talent-filled lineup stirs up dreams of state soccer crown By TIM TROWER SOC Girls Soccer Coaches poll 1, North Medford (7)..............49 2, South Medford (1).............36 3, Ashland...........................34 (tie) Klamath Union...............34 5, Roseburg.........................29 6, Crater..............................17 7, Grants Pass.....................14 8, Eagle Point........................9 First place votes in parenthesis North Medford has made the girls soccer state playoffs each of the past three years under coach Dick Darcy, only to lose to a team that would eventually play for the title. This season could be different. "Hopefully, this will be the year we make it to the finals," says Darcy. North lost only one starter off the team that went 15-2 last year and shared the Southern Oregon Conference crown with South Medford. The Tornado was eliminated in the state quarterfinals by Jesuit, which went on to win the Class 4A championship. Its spate of veteran talent makes North the overwhelming choice of Southern Oregon Conference coaches to win the league. South Medford could challenge, and Ashland and Klamath Union figure to be in the playoff hunt. Darcy, who has a 45-4 record in three years, appreciates the respect his program has earned, but he also knows it means little when the time comes to take the field. "They're very kind to pick us first," he says, "but when we play them, it's not like we're first, it's like they want to be first. They're very gracious now, but when they play us, they'll try to kick our heads off and beat us." He welcomes the challenge. The SOC has not been a league of top-to-bottom talent. It still isn't, but Darcy says it's getting closer. "The style of play and the play itself has improved tremendously over the last couple of years," he says. "It used to be, whoever dominated would win easily. It's not like that anymore, and that's good. That's the way it should be." Stiff competition in the conference should help the top teams when the playoffs roll around. And North might see the benefits sooner. It is the host in a Sept. 25 rematch with Jesuit, which beat the Tornado 7-0 en route to its fifth straight state title. "They're the premier team in the state, so that will be a good benchmark for us," says Darcy, who will send out his own impressive array of talent. Among the returnees are four who were SOC first-team all-stars in 1998: midfielders Heather Johnson and Katie Longan, forward Tennille Bennett and defender Jamie Mac-Lauchlan. Two others _ midfielder Katie Grace and defender Bethanie Bryant _ made the second team. Bennett is the team's "impact player," says Darcy, but "we're blessed with several girls who may not have the speed of Tennille, but they have the ability and skill to get it done. We have an attack that will be entertaining and will come from all directions." South Medford saw it firsthand last year, when the Tornado edged the Panthers, 2-1, on Bryant's goal with one second remaining in overtime. "That was pretty tough on us," says South's Leslie Lang, the coach of the year last season. "We hope to get that back this year." The Panthers, picked to finish behind North, return six starters, including all-conference defender Marissa Gillingham, from its playoff team. South lost 5-1 to South Salem in its '98 playoff opener. Forward Tiffany Mason and defender Kathleen Narus are back after receiving honorable mention. "We have lots of young players, but they're really good young players," says Lang. Ashland, which knocked off North in the regular-season finale a year ago, is looking for a top-three finish, says coach Gregorio Ruiz. He'll rely heavily on Dylan St. Clair-Bates, a first-team defender; second-team goalkeeper Jenni Spears and junior Jessica Bullen. Other teams weren't picked to finish high in the standings, but that doesn't mean they aren't without their own intriguing casts. For instance, Eagle Point's Stephanie Lucas is back for an encore after being named most valuable player last year. She'll be the focus of every defense the Eagles face. "She's a little more wily," coach Tim Sweeney says of Lucas. "She's a little more aware of what the officials are looking for on a play. Now she's able to use her speed and skills to position herself to not let others make plays against her." Lucas entered the season with 61 career goals; the next-closest on the team is Necia Wilkinson, who had six over three years. Lucas has averaged five goals in Eagle Point's three non-conference matches this season. "She doesn't get the freedom in the SOC that she does in non-conference matches," says Sweeney, noting that double- and triple-team defenses are common in league. At Crater, coach Terry Fretz takes over. His varied background includes nine years of playing semipro ball in the Caribbean _ occasionally against members of the most recent Jamaican World Cup team. He also coached in Michigan before moving three years ago to the Rogue Valley, where he's spent time operating an indoor soccer facility and working as a golf instructor. At Roseburg, coach Bryce Martin welcomed exchange student Hedda Gardsjord from Norway. "She's considered a very strong player where she's from," says Martin. "She'll give Stephanie Lucas every bit a run for her money for player of the year." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.