Girls
The Corvallis High school girls are the top seeded team out of the Mid-Willamette Conference as a result of their win over Crescent Valley in league play. The Spartan ladies earn a first round bye and will face the winner of Summit and Wilsonville at home. Crescent Valley will also earn a first round bye as the second seed and face Ashland at home. Ashland was defeated 5-0 by Mountain View this season. The Raiders overcame Mountain View 1-0.
Neither Corvallis school has won a state championship. In 2006 the Raiders made it all the way to the championship match but lost to Bend in shootouts. Both teams are good enough to make a run at it this year. The Phillies just proved that anything can happen in a playoff format.
November 4, (TBA): CHS (home) vs Summit or Wilsonville
November 4, (TBA): CV (home) vs Ashland
View the 5A Girls Soccer State Playoff Bracket and Schedule.
Boys
Both boys teams took a back seat to Woodburn again this year in the Mid-Willamette Conference standings. A penalty shootout win by CHS over CV gave the Spartans the second seed. The Spartan boys face a tough challenge against Cleveland away. Cleveland bested CHS 1-0 in the preseason. CV match up against Liberty at home. The Raiders lost a noteworthy match to West Albany 3-0 to end the regular season this year. It is the first time either Albany school has defeated a Corvallis school in boys soccer. Not the way to head into the post-season. Three-nil? Yikes!
CHS won the state championship in 1995 and CV followed with a championship in 1996. Those were 4A championships before the league restructuring.
November 1, 3:00 PM: CV(home) vs Liberty
November 4, 7:00 PM: CHS @ Cleveland (home)
View the 5A Boys Soccer State Playoff Bracket and Schedule.
Good luck to all the Corvallis schools. Who do you think will do well in this years playoffs? Do you think any of our teams have a chance to win the championship? Share your comments.
The Corvallis Gazette Times captured some good video clips from the recent high school soccer matches between Corvallis High School and Crescent Valley High School. Here they are for you in case you don't visit the GT's website.
CHS v. CV Boys (10-21-08)
Girls Post-Game Summary
The CHS girls defeated CV in a key match to determine the top seed from the Mid-Willamette Conference going into the state playoffs. Prior to the match I would have predicted the Raiders to win this match although both teams feature excellent players and athletes. CHS would have proved me wrong after holding on for the 2-1 victory.
The CV girls looked like the much better team to me in the first half. They showed more willingness to play with the ball on the ground and at their feet. The result was a shot off the CHS post and another off the keeper early in the first half. Marissa Kovac was my choice for player of the match in last years showdown and she was looking dangerous again this year.
While coach Andrew Donaldson's Raiders may have been the more skillful side, CHS was athletic and determined enough to keep the game scoreless at halftime.
Coach Dan Finnen kindly gave Lauren Kolodziej credit for deliberately chipping the CV keeper to give CHS the lead early in the second half. Another interpretation might be that Kolodziej mishit a cross from the far left hand side that drifted over the backpedaling CV keeper for a goal.
CHS were also fortunate when an errant pass was mishandled by a couple of field players, again by the CV goalkeeper and was found by Taylor Helfand who finished into an empty net. Down by two goals the Raiders turned it on for the next twenty minutes and earned a late goal by Marissa Kovac but were unable to score an equalizer.
My choice for Player of the Match is CHS freshman midfielder Chloe Donegan who despite possibly being the smallest player on the field won more than her share of challenges, was tireless and was her team's most efficient passer.
On a side note is that McKenzie Redberg might be a better place kicker than Justin Kahut. Riley are you listening?
Boys Pre-Game Prediction
Both teams are nearly identical in record and results against common opponents. This is a close match to call with no clear advantage going to either team. However, I am picking CHS defeat CV 2-1 based on 1)history, 2)the Spartan faithful and 3)the quality of certain individual players.
When Raiders coach Casey Fries was born an oracle atop Mary's Peak prophesied that he would share Xerxes destiny and be thwarted by the Spartans. History has proven that prophecy to be accurate. The stars align just once a decade to tease Casey with a small sampling of victory.
The Spartan student body section is wild. They paint themselves, decorate shirts, dress up like Leonidas and make playing at Taylor Field thoroughly unpleasant for the Raiders every year. They are truly an extra player for this derby.
I have been impressed with Brian Cronk, Banner Shafer, Andres Nieves-Bernal. This summer they played in adult level leagues at CSP and in the Willamette League. That kind of playing experience will pay off tonight.
The Corvallis High School Spartans will face the Crescent Valley High School Raiders tonight at 7:00 PM at Taylor Field to determine the likely second place team in the Mid-Willamette Conference.
View the Corvallis Gazette Times boy's preview.
What did you think of the girl's outcome? What is your prediction for the boy's clash tonight?
I had a chance to ask first year Oregon State Beavers women's head coach Linus Rhode some questions on the eve of this years Civil War soccer match against the Ducks in Eugene. Both squads will be looking for their first win the tough PAC-10 conference.
How long have you been in Corvallis and how did you find yourself at OSU?
I have been in Corvallis for 8 years and I found myself here through Steve Fennah who recruited me as an asst. coach when I was coaching club soccer for McKenzie United down in Eugene.
Please tell us about your playing experience and don’t be modest. What is your favorite moment as a player?
My playing experience started in British Columbia where I made my way through the provincial programs and onto the youth national teams at U18 and U 20. At 15 I joined the Vancouver 86ers as a youth player looking to make it onto the 1st team where I had a few experiences, one of which was an NASL All Star game vs. Vancouver at which point Clive Charles saw me play for the first time. 
After the U20 CONCACAF championships I joined the university of Portland I 1992 where I had a good career leading the team to the final four as captain my senior year. I finished as 4th all time leading scorer. After that I joined the Olympic team for CONCACAF qualifying in Edmonton for the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, where we finished 2nd to Mexico, who got the birth.
At that point I pursued a pro career as at Bayer Leverkusen for a brief stint, then New Orleans in the A-League and then Wynberg St. Johns in the SA 2nd division. That is my playing career in a nut shell.
My favorite memory, well that is tough…. Well it is between the Final Four Match in Richmond Virginia in front of 25,000 plus or a game we played against Mexico in San Jose in front of 20,000 plus wish we tied but after the game fans rushed the field and we had to be escorted off the field for safety.
When did you know you wanted to be a professional soccer coach?
As soon as I started coaching, when I was still a player, I knew I wanted to stay in the game, so I would guess at the age of 19
What do you like best the sport? What do you like best about coaching soccer?
What I like best about the sport is the friends you make from all walks of life, the passion in games and that soccer is a players game where there are really no set plays unlike any other sport. What I like best about coaching is the smile on players faces when I give them info on different ways to solve a problem on the field and they have that look, like the light bulb just turned on.
After several years as an assistant coach at OSU you were just hired as the new head coach. What’s been the biggest difference for you?
The biggest difference has been that the buck stops with me now and staff and players are looking at me to be the leader in difficult situations.
What differences would you like for fans to notice about the team under your guidance?
Oh, I think just a different style of play and a group of players that are playing for each other, the university and with pride.
Based on your experience, what are the biggest differences between men’s and women’s soccer?
I would say just the overall athleticism, in the men’s game it is pretty equal, but in the women’s game there can be a big difference that is very difficult to make up for.
The PAC-10 is such a competitive conference. All four California schools are nationally ranked teams. How can OSU be successful in the PAC-10?
I think we have to play like the Italians, defend with a block of eight and when we get the ball look to keep it through smarts and good speed of play. Last obviously is to take the chances that we get in front of goal.
PAC-10 matches begin this week for OSU. Do you have any conference competition goals set for the team this year?
Yes, for this year our goal is to be competitive, reach for .500, and try to make all games a one goal game so we always have a chance for a victory.
Can you share some advice for young players that would like to play soccer at OSU or another school?
Yes, make sure you are doing well in school, play at the highest level you can at all times and be aggressive in pursuing the team of your choice.
Is there anything that you would like to share with fans about the OSU women’s program?
Yes, come and support us, because we are looking to build a program that will make the community proud and to put on a show on game day that will be exciting for people to watch.
The Beaver women are 5-6-1 despite fielding an extremely young team and being short-handed all year due to injuries. OSU will finish up in the PAC-10 with UCLA (#4) and USC (#7) at home.
Can Linus and the ladies give OSU a second upset win over USC this year? How do you think the Beavers can succeed against the California power houses?
What do babies, soccer and blogging have to do with each other? Just about nothing, that's what. I got a first hand taste of that fact after my new baby girl arrived about six weeks ago. (You have noticed that I haven't written anything in about a month right?)
Well since babies, soccer and blogging are three of my favorite things in the world I am determined to make them fit together. I present to the best fifteen soccer babies to found on the web. Here is a direct link if you can't view it here. Guess which one is mine.
Have one of your own to share? Email it to me at corvallissoccer@yahoo.com and I'll add it to the slide show.
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