Grizzly boys soccer seeks second state title
The McMinnville Grizzlies boys soccer team gutted out a 2-1 victory over Grant Tuesday night in front of a raucous home crowd to earn a trip to the OSAA 6A State Championship game.
The No. 4 ranked Grizzlies (15-2-1) will face No. 3 ranked Jesuit (15-2-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at Hillsboro Stadium.
Grant entered Wortman Stadium as the No. 8 seed, PIL league champions and having dispatched No. 1 seed Lakeridge on Saturday.
“We knew this was gonna be a challenge. We knew this was not going to be an easy test,” said head coach Adam Howard. “I thought our guys rose to it, especially in the second half. I’m just really proud of the way they reacted at halftime and came out in the second half and represented the program.”
Junior forward Jose “Joey” Farias accounted for both Grizzly goals.
Ten minutes into the game, midfielder Edwin “Isai” Cuevas-George headed forward a goal kick that was collected by Farias who, surrounded by three Grant defenders, took two touches and drove it into the bottom right corner of the net.
But most of the remainder of the half was played in McMinnville territory.
A few minutes after the first goal, Mac goalie Hipolito Ramirez Monje made a diving save on a hard-struck Grant shot. A few minutes later a Grant corner kick barely missed the head of their forward who towered over the shorter Mac players.
Grant kept pressuring. With 10 minutes to go, a Grant free kick sailed into a scrum in the box. The ball got past Ramirez Monje and would have found the net had it not been for Sebastian Lopez knocking it away in the nick of time.
Grant finally got an equalizer with about five minutes before the break.
It was time for a pep talk.
“It was just uncharacteristic of us the way we came out and started the game,” Howard said. “The early goal may have put us back on our heels and made (Grant) even more aggressive. It just wasn’t who we were all season.
“And so at halftime we just said, ‘Hey, if we’re gonna go down, we’re gonna go down playing the way we played all season: being aggressive, battling for balls.”
The Grizzlies responded and started testing the Grant defense and aggressively going after 50/50 balls in the midfield.
“Cuevas George was huge tonight, just winning balls in the air, challenging things, trying to help us settle when we could,” Howard said.
Up front, Farias drew several fouls that set up free kick opportunities.
“I was just looking for runs, trying to go one-on-one, and every time I got fouled, it gave us a big advantage,” Farias said. “I’ve gotten my mental toughness better, because usually when I get fouled, I would get upset. But now I just take it in and just play with that anger.”
Cuevas George narrowly missed a header on a cross ball in front of the goal about 15 minutes into the half. Soon after, senior midfielder Adan Figueroa Lampke had a shot on goal that was saved by a deflection off a Grant defender.
A few minutes later, Farias was fouled about 25 yards from goal on the right half of the field. Grant defender Owen Bonnin was given a yellow card for the foul.
Cuevas-George took the kick and drove a shot on goal that ricocheted off Grant goalkeeper Noah Hardwood, and Farias beat him to the ball, knocking it in for what would be the deciding goal.
Soon after play resumed. Farias beat Bonnin to the spot on another through ball and was tripped with a possible breakaway. The referee came over and held up a yellow car, Bonnin’s second, resulting in his exit from the game and an 11-10 player advantage for McMinnville.
“(Farias) did an excellent job of putting their backline under pressure all game long,” Howard said. “Even when he’s shorter than their center back, he’s battling on every play, jumping with them, challenging them and causing some havoc for them.”
As a packed Wortman Stadium grew louder with every minute that ticked, Mac had to hold off a desperate Grant team pushing with all they had. Mac defended and cleared out several free kicks and throw-ins near its own goal as time wound down.
“I thought (Ramirez Monje) had a phenomenal game in goal,” Howard said. “He made some big saves; came out on a few plays when he needed to.”
Individual efforts could be highlighted across the board, Howard said.
“It was definitely a collective effort.”
Howard said his team knew better than to start celebrating until that final horn went off.
“Last year in the playoffs, our first round playoff game we gave up a goal with two seconds to go,” he said. “So that’s been in our memory bank, and helped motivate us all season long, remembering that we gotta finish every play and every second matters, because that’s literally how we lost last season and ended our season.”
Farias said the engagement from the fans gave them team adrenaline boosts throughout the contest. He added that the current run feels extra sweet after how the last season ended.
“Making it this far, I think it’s really a big accomplishment for the team for everyone around here,” he said.
This will be the third trip to the state championship game in program history. The Mac boys beat Jesuit in 2006 to win the title, and lost to Lakeridge in 2016. Both games were decided by penalty kicks.
Howard said Jesuit is a disciplined team with few, if any, weaknesses.
“Organized. They play hard. They’re dangerous on set pieces,” he said. “We’re going to have to play very well to beat them.”
Jesuit is led by sophomore midfielder Vala Saghafi, the Metro League co-player of the year, who has 29 goals and 13 assists on the season.
“One of the best players in the state of Oregon,” Howard said of Saghafi. “Every time he touches the ball he’s very dangerous.”
Howard said he doesn’t plan to strategize much against Jesuit. The gameplan is for his team to stay true to who they are.
“Our best chance is doing what we do well: High pressing and connecting passes, and repressing when we lose the ball,” Howard said. “And get the ball to our front line guys who have been dangerous in front of the goal. If we worry about them too much then we cause ourselves our own problems.”
Howard said the team’s motto during its playoff run has been “win the next play.”
The game will be streamed on the NFHS Network (see osaa.org/media for links).
It will also be broadcast on 1260 KLYC. David and Sara Manriquez will call the game live – David was a senior on the 2006 championship team.
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