By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– It was a good start to the year for the Blanchet Catholic Girls Soccer team.
In their opening game of the year against Westside Christian, they came out with a 3-0 victory with a brace feat by Kenzi Lazarus and another goal by way of Gigi Orozco. The offense came around after a slow start as the Cavaliers didn’t break the 0-0 tie until the 30th minute after Lazarus’ first goal of the game.
“It’s really nice. Start of the season, just getting to know the team and playing with your team against another team for the first time. It was really good getting through it and getting the goals,” Lazarus said.
Blanchet tacked on their second goal within the first ten minutes of the second half by way of Orozco and Lazarus added her second by the 51st minute, battling through the physicality that the Eagles gave their way in the Cavs opening game of the season en route to their first victory of the season.
With about seven, eight new girls on the roster this year, this game was a good taste of what is to come with the season ahead and understanding the style of play that Head Coach Tina Pearson wants them to play.
“It was a really big game for us because we had a lot of new girls… So learning our style of play is challenging and getting them to understand our style of play. It’s one thing to practice, but once you’re out playing on the field, it’s a whole another thing, and they gotta see it,” said Pearson. “So now it allowed them to understand how we play and then the high pressure and everything about that is what we wanted and the girls just executed very well. We still have to work on our conditioning, that’s soccer, but we’ll get there and we’re getting there slowly but surely.”
The Cavs will close out the non-league schedule with Amity on September 9 and Gervais/Kennedy on September 11 before kicking off 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 action September 18 against Salem Academy.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
