Freshman Jen McNasser Scores Twice as La Salle Prep Battles Molalla to 3-3 Standoff

MOLALLA – It was a classic tale of two halves here Tuesday night as La Salle Prep’s girls’ varsity soccer team played Molalla High to a 3-3 standoff in a Capital Conference game.

The first half was owned by the Falcons, who struck for two goals within a minute and added a third score just six minutes before intermission for a 3-0 advantage. But a heavy downpour at halftime seemed to wash away any thoughts that Molalla would go down quietly; the Indians got on the board 42 seconds into the second half, added another score 10 minutes later, and tallied the equalizer on a penalty kick with just 3:15 left.

It was the first non-win in four Capital Conference starts for La Salle, which is 3-0-1 in league play and 3-3-1 overall heading into Thursday afternoon’s 4:15 p.m. home game vs. Stayton.

“The girls played a great first half,” said La Salle head coach Ryan Cereghino. “Unfortunately, we did not come out strong in the second half and let Molalla back into the game with a quick goal. I give Molalla a lot of credit for not giving up and fighting for a draw. The players are going to learn from this experience and need to realize that a game is 80 minutes long, not 40.”

Freshman Jen McNasser was the offensive standout for the Falcons, striking for her first goals of the season in lightning-quick fashion midway through the first half. Her first came on a chip shot from 18 yards out after a series of caroms in the box following a Falcon corner kick, and her second was a one-touch liner 54 seconds later that came after a perfectly placed low cross from the right wing by Michelle Snader.

“Jen does a great job of listening at practice, reading the game, and putting herself in good positions on the field,” said Cereghino. “She hit the ball solid on frame and good things happened.”

Senior midfielder Stephanie Socotch, who scored a goal for the second consecutive game , gave La Salle a 3-0 advantage with 6:15 left in the opening half when she took a short feed from Elizabeth Danna and converted from 20 yards.

Falcon keeper Natalie Byrne turned in an outstanding defensive performance with a series of spectacular second-half saves against an onslaught of shots by Molalla, most of which came off the foot of the Indians’ Claire Thomas, who had two of her team’s three goals.

The speedy Thomas scored on a breakaway into the box at the 39:18 mark of the second half to give the Indians new life and cut the deficit to 3-1. After a couple of Thomas near-misses, including one shot that caromed off the right post and another from point-blank range that was saved by Byrne, the Molalla freshman struck again when she deposited a shot into the left corner of the net at the 13:39 mark.

Byrne came up with some more outstanding defensive plays in goal as La Salle tried to protect its lead, but when the Falcons were called for a foul in the box with 3:15 left, Molalla captain Anna Russell delivered a penalty kick into the left corner of the net to tie the score 3-3.

Dave Haglund

Boys' Soccer defeats Molalla 3-0

The Boys' soccer team defeated a tough conference opponent on Tuesday night.

Photos by Anita Dethlefs.

Varsity football lost a close game to Gladstone

The Varsity football team fell behind Gladstone with under 3 minutes to play in the game. The game ended with a score of 20-17. It was a hard fought battle and a very fun game to watch. Anita Dethlefs took some fantastic photos.

Kristin Rubalcava took some terrific photos at the game too:

To see more of Kristin's photos click here.

The cheerleaders did a great job of supporting the team with signs around the school and cheers and chants during the game. Carrie Crawford took this photo.

La Salle Prep Defeats Cascade 1-0 for 3rd Consecutive Girls’ Soccer Win

MILWAUKIE – La Salle Prep’s girls’ varsity soccer team ran its winning streak to three straight Thursday night, making its earliest goal of the season stand up for a 1-0 victory over Cascade High School.

The Falcons, who improved to 3-0 in the Capital Conference, recorded their third consecutive shutout while improving their overall record to 3-3.

Senior Stephanie Socotch sailed a 26-yard shot off a direct kick over the head of Cascade keeper Tiffany Klages 9:25 into the game to give La Salle the only goal it would need. The free kick was set up by a handball by a Cougar defender.

“Stephanie helped the team achieve our team goal of starting the game quickly and with intensity,” said La Salle head coach Ryan Cereghino. “We wanted to set the tempo early and score in the first 15 minutes of the game. After her score, though, the team had difficulty finishing opportunities. We had plenty of chances, but couldn’t connect.”

La Salle finished with 17 shots, while the Falcon defense limited Cascade to just one shot on goal. Goalkeeper Natalie Byrne had one save for La Salle.

The Falcons controlled the ball for a majority of the game, and Cereghino cited the play of his wing players for helping set up many of La Salle’s scoring chances.

“Carly Christoferson and Elise Christoferson did a wonderful job on the wing,” he said. “They both made smart, quick runs and helped create many of our offensive opportunities. The team will continue to work on communicating, building the attack, tackling hard and finishing.”

Next up for La Salle is a Tuesday road match at Molalla High. Game time is 6 p.m.

Written by Dave Haglund

La Salle Girls’ Soccer Posts 2nd Straight Victory with 2-0 Win over Estacada

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

Varsity football played a great game against Banks

If you weren't here on Friday night, you should have been. The football team stormed back from a 21-7 deficit to tie the score in the last minute of the game at 21-21. Unfortunately, Banks was able to get a quick score and seal the victory. It was a great game and it was terrific to see so many people enjoy a friday night football game under the lights. After the game, the football team, the cheerleaders and many of our supporters met for pizza at Old Chicago's and channel 6 news broadcast live from our party (click here to see the video). It was a very fun evening.

Anita Dethlefs took some fantastic pictures.

Werner Leads La Salle Past North Marion 1-0; Falcons Drop 5-1 Decision to Valley Catholic

MILWAUKIE – Kat Werner’s goal off an assist by Safiyah Maurice three minutes into the match proved to be the difference Thursday night as La Salle Prep defeated visiting North Marion High School 1-0 in girls’ varsity soccer.

The win helped the Falcons to a split of their two games during the week. On Tuesday, La Salle traveled to Beaverton where it fell by a 5-1 score to Valley Catholic.

La Salle (1-3), which had struggled to mount consistent offensive attacks in its first three matches, outshot North Marion (2-2-1) by a 15-3 margin in posting its first victory of the season.

“I was glad we were able to create more scoring opportunities and had some quality goal-scoring chances,” said La Salle coach Ryan Cereghino. “These offensive opportunities helped relieve pressure from the defensive unit; we were able to string passes together by moving off the ball and improving our touch. We were much more aggressive than our preseason games and won many more 50-50 balls, both in the air and on the ground. Senior Safiyah Maurice and junior Kat Werner worked well together to help score early in the game. I am impressed by the players’ abilities to work hard at practice and implement these skills into the game.”

Natalie Byrne played all 80 minutes in goal for the Falcons in recording the shutout.

In Tuesday’s game, senior Stephanie Socotch drilled a 30-yard shot past the Valley Catholic goalkeeper for La Salle’s lone score.

La Salle has two games this week, as the Falcons travel to Estacada High Tuesday for a 6 p.m. match before hosting Cascade High Thursday at 6:30 p.m.