Last year, Bend's girls soccer team took a giant leap in its second season under coach Scott Sagar, going from 5-8-1 to 12-5-1 and finishing as the 5A runner-up.
So with that team returning almost intact in 2025, the Lava Bears appeared primed to pursue their first state championship since winning three titles between 2006 and 2009.
But Sagar, who coached Oregon Episcopal's girls to the 3A/2A/1A title in 2005, cautioned his players about lofty expectations.
“I'm a realist,” Sagar said. “They knew from the get-go that last season didn't matter at all. You don't get to have any type of badge of honor that matters to the other team. We did not come off last season with any grand expectations.”
The Lava Bears, No. 3 in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll, put their heads down and continued to work, and the results have followed. They are 12-0-1 overall, 10-0-1 in the Intermountain Conference, and with a 2-1 home win over No. 5 Summit (10-2-2, 9-1-1) on Friday, they assured themselves of a piece of the conference title.
Bend can claim the IMC title outright Thursday with a home win over Ridgeview (4-8-1, 3-7) in the regular-season finale. Summit plays at Mountain View (8-5, 6-4) in its last game.
The Lava Bears played to a 1-1 draw at reigning conference champion Summit in the team's first meeting Sept. 30. In the rematch, junior Shea Manfredi scored a goal in the 25th minute and added a penalty kick in the 57th minute to put Bend up 2-0. Summit made it 2-1 on a penalty kick from senior Maggie Kelley with 30 seconds left.
“It took 10 minutes against Summit before we really started to play our game,” Sagar said. “Last season, when we didn't beat Summit, it was the nerves. They had to get over that. Summit has been our greatest nemesis. Of the central Oregon teams, Summit was the team to beat, and we did that.”
Despite outscoring its opponents 52-6 this season, Sagar said his team still is adjusting to the mindset of being state power.
“Did we go all the way to the show last year? Yes, but it's so new,” he said. “We're not quite there yet with the inherent confidence. We're still building.”
Manfredi, a 5A first-team pick last season, leads the Lava Bears in goals (21) and assists (13). Sagar, Manfredi's club coach at Bend FC for the past five years, called her a “true striker.”
“She's 120 percent all the time. She will never give up,” Sagar said. “She's also very capable of creating her own opportunities. She has become a go-to forward. She'll get the job done by all means.”
The return of junior center midfielder Piper Abrams (5A second team in 2024), who missed the second half of last season with a broken foot, has helped elevate Bend. Her absence last season put a strain on the lineup, forcing Sagar to shuffle positions.
“It was like playing chess with half the pieces,” Sagar said. “It was a massive hurdle that the team had to work through. She's irreplaceable. She's built for the sport. She is so talented at delivering, distributing and making potent runs.”
The defense has been bolstered this season with the addition of two center backs in freshman Khloe Kemp and sophomore Tatyana Fobi, a transfer from Vancouver. They have allowed last year's center backs, seniors Lucy Cox and Keira Swanson, to move to more natural positions at outside back and midfield, respectively.
“This season we have two naturally born center defenders,” Sagar said.
At No. 2 in the OSAA rankings, the Lava Bears are in position to have a favorable playoff draw. Last year, they entered as the No. 7 seed and reached the final, falling to Wilsonville 4-1.
First title for Century
Century tied at McMinnville 0-0 on Monday to put the final touch on its first conference title.
The Jaguars finished 7-5-3 overall, 4-0-2 in the 6A Pacific Conference, to beat out second-place Sherwood (6-6-3, 4-1-1). They will appear in the state playoffs for the first time.
Their 1-0 home win over Sherwood on Oct. 20, behind a goal by Briana Loza in the 15th minute, turned out to be the difference.
“It's pretty darn cool,” second-year Century coach Alec Ingraham said. “We've got a big class of seniors who have been in the program since they were freshmen. It's been an up-and-down journey for them. They've kind of changed how people look at Century soccer.”
The Jaguars knew that losing Monday likely would have meant sharing the title with Sherwood.
“They were pretty hard set on owning it themselves and not sharing the title,” Ingraham said. “It was pretty darn important for a lot of them. They're super excited. Now they're like, 'We want to win our playoff game.'”
Titan turnaround
West Salem, which opened the season 0-5, has rebounded to earn at least a share of the 6A Central Valley Conference title.
The Titans won 2-0 at South Salem on Oct. 23 in a battle for first place. Senior midfielder Liliana Eckert returned after missing two weeks with an ankle injury and scored both goals for West Salem, one a header off a corner kick and the other a one-touch shot from about 30 yards out.
The Titans (6-6-1, 6-1) stand one game ahead of South Salem (8-6, 5-2) and can win the conference title outright with a win over visiting Sprague (3-9-1, 2-4-1) on Tuesday night.
A tough early schedule and injuries to key players, including junior goalkeeper Atalia Davila Macias, tested the Titans' resolve.
“The trials and tribulations exposed our gaps and growth points early on, and allowed us to strengthen and improve them at a quicker rate, while also improving the depth of our team as a whole,” coach Kaylyn Okerstrom said. “Though we would’ve liked to come out of our nonleague games with better results, the games themselves helped us prepare for league.”
Notes:
Philomath, ranked fifth in 4A, needed a late rally to tie No. 6 North Marion 4-4 on Oct. 23 and maintain its hold on first place in the Oregon West Conference oer the Huskies. The Warriors (12-1-1, 8-0-1) trailed 4-2 with 10 minutes left at North Marion (7-6-1, 7-1-1) but got two goals from sophomore Kya Bolton – the equalizer coming in the final minute -- to earn the draw. Philomath earned at least a share of the conference title and can claim it outright Tuesday with a home win over Newport (7-4-2, 4-3-2) in the last regular-season match. … Central Catholic took over first place in the highly competitive Mt. Hood Conference with a 3-0 win at No. 7 David Douglas on Oct. 20. Tessie Albano, Katherine Miller and Sophie Naulty scored goals for the Rams, who are 5-1 in league and hold a slim edge over David Douglas and Barlow, both at 4-1-1. Central Catholic can secure the title Tuesday with a home win over Clackamas (2-3-1). … No. 2 Amity earned the top seed in 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 on Saturday by beating Blanchet Catholic 3-0 in a district playoff at Gervais High School. Lyliana Rideout, Eliza Nisly and Haley Miersma scored for Amity. … Reigning 4A champion Marist Catholic, ranked No. 1, captured the outright title in the Sky-Em League by going on the road Monday to defeat second-place North Bend 5-0. Libby McLaughlin had a hat trick and an assist for the Spartans (13-1-1, 8-0) against the Bulldogs (8-4-2, 6-2).
jerryu@osaa.org
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