By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– For the second time in three years, the Chemeketa Community College Women’s Soccer team won the NWAC South Region Title. The first under first-year Head Coach Luciane Wertz.
“It’s been pretty fun so far. There’s been a lot of energy, time, and effort that goes into it, but so far in my experience, it’s been pretty fun and enjoyable to come this far,” Alyssa Tapia-Stockwell said.
Tapia-Stockwell, a Newberg-grad, has been a part of a defensive backline that only allowed seven goals in their 12 game NWAC South Region schedule and nine overall in the 14 contests that they’ve played so far. Ella Holwege (Corbett) has four of the squads five shutouts.
Over the course of the regular season, the Storm are 9-1-4 overall and have gone 9-0-3 in their last 12 games. That 9-0-3 record has helped them claim the NWAC South Region Title and a bye into the NWAC Quarterfinals where they’ll host a playoff game on November 8.
Their offense is averaging 2.31 goals a game with Mira Thornton (Beaverton) leading the charge with seven goals with Bethany Villegas (McNary) at five goals and Clarissa Lemus (McNary) at four goals. Tatum Kiger (Sprague) has a team-high five assists to lead a Chemeketa offense that has 19 assists on the year and 30 goals total.
“I feel like we’ve gone farther because of the team chemistry. Without it, we wouldn’t have gone so far. I don’t know what it was, but once we all got the hang of playing with each other, and how we all figure out who plays this and this, we came together,” said Lemus. “It was like a puzzle piece. Once we figured it out, every game gave us the result that we needed.”
“It definitely helps with team dinners and outside bonding. We got to know each other on a different level outside of Soccer, so that definitely helped with our game,” adds Avery Anunsen, a South Salem-grad.
The squad went back to work on Thursday before some team bonding on Friday as they took advantage of this week-plus they have off going into their playoff game. Healing up, mentally staying with it in preparation of what is to come for them.
It hasn’t hit them fully yet the magnitude of the moment, but now is the time for them to work through it so it won’t catch them off guard when they take to the pitch next Saturday.
“I feel like the rest of this week is to heal up and making sure we’re good. Then come Monday, we got to lock in and just continue to play like we’re playing and our game and not try to adapt to any other team. Just keep playing us,” said Anunsen.
The Storm will play the winner of Highland-Bellevue on November 8 in Salem.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
