By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– The West Salem Girls Soccer team found a way to get it done against St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon to open the 6A State Playoffs at West Salem High School.
After a slow start to the game, the two squads tied up at zero, going into the second half. The Titans’ offense began to support their defense that had kept this game tied.
Johi Diaz broke the tied shutout early in the second half in the 51st minute before the Blues tied it at one soon after. But then Diaz pushed the Titans back ahead at 2-1 before an Olivia Crofoot goal gave West Salem a 3-1 cushion.
The score remained 3-1 through the final whistle.
No overtime game to start their playoff run in 2025 as it did in 2024 as they move into the Sweet 16.
“In these games, you don’t get a lot of chances because we’re all good teams, and it takes that discipline to concentrate on where to put that shot and put it in. We have to make those opportunities count,” said West Salem Head Coach Kaylyn Okerstrom said. “St. Mary’s was great as well, and my defense put in a lot of work to make the score what it was.
“In games like this, we worked on being defensively strong and finishing on our opportunities, and I’m so glad that we were able to finish on those opportunities tonight. “
The Titans will have a tough challenge to extend their season when they head to Beaverton to play Jesuit
“We have a set defensive strategy that we’re gonna fine-tune on Monday. We’re going to work hard and lock it in,” said Okerstrom.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
