FALCONS FINISH OFF FISH
La Salle scored two first-half goals and dodged a few bullets in the second half to hold on for a 2-0 shutout victory over Astoria in a 2nd Round OSAA 4A State Playoff game at Warrenton.
The 3rd-rankd Falcons, in pursuit of their third straight trip to the championship game, picked up goals from 2006 all-Capital Conference forward Ben Striar in the 15th minute and Capital co-Player Of The Year Ryan Brand in the 22nd minute. La Salle outshot Astoria 12-3 in the first half and generally controlled play, although Astoria's Jair Macareno just missed a wide open shot before halftime that would have cut the lead to one goal.
The Falcons adjusted to a defensive formation with one forward in the second half and held Astoria scoreless despite being outshot 7-4 by the Fishermen. Ryan Putman fired a strong shot from about 40 yards that just skipped over the crossbar. Reserve forward Zack Norton injected his usual excitement into the final few minutes, making several full speed runs deep into Falcon territory. La Salle goalkeeper Nick Rash came out to deflect a Norton shot late and Macareno's rebound attempt sailed just outside the frame.
There were very few stoppages and only a handful of fouls whistled with no bookings. Astoria lost sophomore forward Sean Speer to a knee injury midway through the second half after a strong clean tackle.
La Salle returned eight players from last year's state runner-up, welcomed an All-State transfer from California and an ODP transfer from Tigard and looked every bit as good as a team with that much talent should. While the Falcons were clearly the superior team, Astoria was not outclassed and played a strong game with enough scoring opportunities to make things interesting. The Falcons stayed with their starting players until the final whistle.
LaSalle had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks. Rash earned the shutout with five saves and Astoria's Daniel Mathre played a strong game in goal with five saves.
The Falcons, now 12-1-2 overall, move on to the quarterfinals to face a familiar opponent. McLoughlin High School of Milton-Freewater defeated the Falcons in the championship game the last two seasons after losing to La Salle in the 2004 semifinals. The Pioneers will travel to Milwaukie to face the Falcons on Saturday after defeating Sisters 3-0 Tuesday.
In other 2nd Round State Tournament finals, Tillamook picked up its first ever state playoff win with a 1-0 victory at La Grande. The Cheesemakers will play the winner of Henley against Cottage Grove in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Seaside will host Gladstone on Saturday after the Gladiators shut out North Valley 3-0. Gladstone defeated Seaside 6-2 in a non-league match in September at Warrenton.
The 3rd-rankd Falcons, in pursuit of their third straight trip to the championship game, picked up goals from 2006 all-Capital Conference forward Ben Striar in the 15th minute and Capital co-Player Of The Year Ryan Brand in the 22nd minute. La Salle outshot Astoria 12-3 in the first half and generally controlled play, although Astoria's Jair Macareno just missed a wide open shot before halftime that would have cut the lead to one goal.
The Falcons adjusted to a defensive formation with one forward in the second half and held Astoria scoreless despite being outshot 7-4 by the Fishermen. Ryan Putman fired a strong shot from about 40 yards that just skipped over the crossbar. Reserve forward Zack Norton injected his usual excitement into the final few minutes, making several full speed runs deep into Falcon territory. La Salle goalkeeper Nick Rash came out to deflect a Norton shot late and Macareno's rebound attempt sailed just outside the frame.
There were very few stoppages and only a handful of fouls whistled with no bookings. Astoria lost sophomore forward Sean Speer to a knee injury midway through the second half after a strong clean tackle.
La Salle returned eight players from last year's state runner-up, welcomed an All-State transfer from California and an ODP transfer from Tigard and looked every bit as good as a team with that much talent should. While the Falcons were clearly the superior team, Astoria was not outclassed and played a strong game with enough scoring opportunities to make things interesting. The Falcons stayed with their starting players until the final whistle.
LaSalle had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks. Rash earned the shutout with five saves and Astoria's Daniel Mathre played a strong game in goal with five saves.
The Falcons, now 12-1-2 overall, move on to the quarterfinals to face a familiar opponent. McLoughlin High School of Milton-Freewater defeated the Falcons in the championship game the last two seasons after losing to La Salle in the 2004 semifinals. The Pioneers will travel to Milwaukie to face the Falcons on Saturday after defeating Sisters 3-0 Tuesday.
In other 2nd Round State Tournament finals, Tillamook picked up its first ever state playoff win with a 1-0 victory at La Grande. The Cheesemakers will play the winner of Henley against Cottage Grove in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Seaside will host Gladstone on Saturday after the Gladiators shut out North Valley 3-0. Gladstone defeated Seaside 6-2 in a non-league match in September at Warrenton.
posted by Matt Richert at 8:26 PM
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