By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– The West Salem Girls Soccer team are slowly making that turn towards the good with two non-league games left before Central Valley Conference play starts on September 25.
Their young defensive line is coming along. Their team chemistry, their fluidity, and connecting on their passess, it’s all there now. It’s just that top piece, their offensive third to piece it all together.
“We’re getting there. My midfield is entirely solid, I got a ton of veterans who work off of each other, and we just have to find the people on top and connect it to the back of the net. That’s the only piece that we’re missing, and that’s what people don’t see. They’re seeing the results going, ‘man. What’s going on with West?’ What’s going on, we’re doing great things. We’re just not finding the back of the net,” said Titans Head Coach Kaylan Okerstrom.
Olivia Crofoot scored the lone goal for West Salem in the Titans’ tough 2-1 defeat to Oregon City on Tuesday night. It was the first goal of the season for the squad as they and the Pioneers matched each other’s physical play. West Salem didn’t shy away from that kind of aggressive play as they, the Titans, look to build upon that into their final two non-league games at Tigard on Thursday and at Forest Grove in hopes to bring it all together in time for their CVC opening game with North Salem next Thursday.
“We were incredibly aggressive. I have no doubt in my mind in their ability to be aggressive and get around that aggression too to connect with the ball. That’s where a lot of the fouls are called against us. We’re just so fast in connecting that the hits are after,” said Okerstrom. “We have a real technical midfield that like to play around, but I do believe that we have the grit.”
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
