ESTACADA, Ore. – Perseverance paid big dividends for the La Salle Prep girls’ varsity soccer team here Tuesday night in a 2-0 victory over Estacada High School.
The rejuvenated Falcons’ offense, which totaled 15 shots on goal in its previous game, nearly doubled that total against the Rangers, firing off 28 shots in 80 minutes against Estacada. La Salle (2-3) finally wore down the Ranger defense after a scoreless first half, getting goals from Kat Werner and Carly Christoferson in a 3 ½ minute span to post its second consecutive win.
Kat Werner, who had the winning goal in last Thursday’s win over North Marion, finally broke the dry spell for the Falcons when she converted a pass from Emily Basile with 14:39 left in the match. Moments later, Werner assisted on La Salle’s second goal, feeding a ball to Christoferson that she chipped over the head of the Estacada goalkeeper.
“The players created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the game but had a difficult time finishing,” said La Salle head coach Ryan Cereghino. “They made much better runs, passes, and crosses, but just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. “
Natalie Byrne had four saves in recording her second straight shutout.
Said Cereghino, “Natalie made a grade save at the end of the first half to keep the game tied. The defense was caught looking for an offside call at the end of the half, but Natalie prevented Estacada from capitalizing on the opportunity. Kat’s goal picked up the intensity of the whole team, and I challenged the players after the game to being every game with the same energy.”
Next up for La Salle is a home match Thursday at 6:30 p.m. vs. Cascade High School.
Written by Dave Haglund
