TOLEDO — Safe to say, the Toledo girls soccer team remembered how the shortened winter season ended.
After getting upset in the first round of the District tournament at Ocosta last March, the Riverhawks converted their first chance at revenge this fall, finding the back of the net time and time again in a 9-3 romp over the Wildcats at Ted Hippi Field.
“That was on the back of the mind for a lot of the girls,” Toledo coach Noel Vazquez said.
When Toledo fell in Westport, the Wildcats fell back and absorbed the Riverhawks’ pressure all night long, putting a wall up in front of the net that was only broached once. This time around, the Toledo pressure was simply too much and too constant; the longest gap between goals was a 25-minute span early in the first half, and from the 28th minute onward, the Riverhawks scored at least once every 13 minutes, peppering Ocosta’s net with 19 shots on target.
“That’s the possession game that I preach and I love to see,” Vazquez said. “It’s really good to see at this level, because I think there are only a handful of teams that are able to possess and pass the ball around like we do.”
The onslaught put the Riverhawks over 30 goals for the season in the first half; they then hit the 35-goal mark in the second. Five games into the fall, Toledo’s already put 36 goals in the back of the net — an average of over seven per match, or one goal every 11 minutes.
Vanessa Rodriguez and Marina Smith both bagged hat tricks for Toledo, while Rose Dillon, Martiza Salmeron, and Jazzy Zarate all got into the scoring column once. Dillon added five assists on the evening.
Toledo’s possession game came out strong, with Briza Gallegos cause trouble early down the right side. In the third minute, she swung the ball in to Ryah Stanley, who laid it off for Rodriguez for the opening goal.
Ocosta came right back, though, winning a penalty on the other side of the field on its only real chance of the first half and slotting it through to tie it up at 1-1 11 minutes in.
For the rest of the first half — and nearly the rest of the match — it was all Riverhawks.
Minutes into the match, the Riverhawks won a corner and put four bodies between the posts on the goal line. Just before Dillon swung the ball in, Smith popped out to the near post, but her open header deflected off a body and was cleared away.
A bit later in the 28th, Toledo got another corner, and showed the samek look. This time, when Smith bounced out, multiple Wildcats went with her — leaving Rodriguez open at the back post to head it into the net.
“At this level, it’s really hard to get girls to do headers; they don’t grow up doing it as often,” Vazquez said. “But this year, we’ve had like five goals on headers alone, and it’s just starting to open up a new dimension of us scoring.”
Toledo added two more goals off of corners in the second half. In the 56th minute, Dillon swung a low cross in to Smith, whose volley curled past multiple defenders and past the near post.
Thirteen minutes later, Ocosta cleared Toledo’s initial chance off a corner, but the ball fell to Rodriguez, who put in her third goal of the night from the top of the box.
“Vanesa’s really embracing the forward position,” Vazquez said. “Going from the outside back to the top and making the impact she’s making is really helping us.”
Smith’s other two goals also came from long range. In the 40th minute, Ocosta — which only brought 11 players to Ted Hippi Field — had to go down to 10 after an injury. Just after Dillon slotted home a penalty to make it 3-1, Smith gained control of the ball in the middle of the field and took advantage of the extra space, eating up grass before sending a shot over the keeper and under the bar from 30 yards out. In the 74th minute, she did it again, beating the goalkeeper from long distance to wrap up the evening’s scoring.
That ended a dominant end to the second half for Toledo, as the Wildcats’ legs ran out of gas while the hosts just kept going.
"We’ve been there,” Vazquez said. “We had three games with 11 players; I know it’s not easy.
“The girls really took care of their business (before the season), and right now it’s paying off just having one sub and the girls being able to play 80 minutes straight. Ninety percent of the girls have not been subbed out since the start of the season. You do the math; 80 minutes per game for five games is quite a bit.”
Toledo (5-0) will get the rest of the week to rest up before it hosts Stevenson next Monday.
By Eric Trent / etrent@chronline.com
After scoring just three total goals in their past four matches — all losses — Adna finally found the offensive groove it had been waiting for.
Summer White notched a hat trick in the opening 22 minutes of play and the Pirates blasted Stevenson for an 11-0 victory at home in their final non-league match of the season Wednesday.
“The girls have been holding back on me,” Adna coach Horst Malunat said. “They were waiting for the right moment.”
White scored goals in the 15th, 18th and 22nd minutes, the third off an assist by Kaylin Todd, as the Pirates were fifth gear from the get-go. White finished with three goals and two assists.
“I don’t know where she’s been hiding all this time,” Malunat said.
Karlee Von Moss then scored back-to-back goals in the 25th and 30th minutes to give Adna a 5-0 lead at the break.
Todd knocked in a goal in the 50th minute off an assist by White, followed by Macy Kalnoski’s unassisted goal in the 55th minute. Kalnoski pitched a shutout in goal as well. Presley Smith then scored in the 58th minute with an assist by White.
Lesie Davies scored in the 60th minute, Todd scored again in the 65th from an assist by Smith and Smith capped off the scoring in the 71st minute to end the barrage.
“If the girls played like this to start the season we’d be 4-1 and not 1-4,” Malunat said. “I guarantee it. Hopefully it continues.”
Adna (1-4) opens league play when it travels to South Bend to face Raymond-South Bend on Monday.
Napavine found goals from seven different players to easily cruise past visiting Toutle Lake, 7-1, in a non-league matchup on Wednesday.
Senior standout Natalya Marcial opened the scoring in the ninth minute off an assist from Danie Tupuola. The duo flipped the script less than a minute later when Tupuola scored off an assist from Marcial.
Haley Gallagher made it 3-0 with an unassisted goal in the 25th minute before Makensee Taliaferro Bouge scored in the 28th minute off Maya Kunkel’s assist.
Toutle Lake scored in the 36th minute off a free kick to make it 4-1 Napavine at the half.
Hannah Fay scored off a penalty kick in the 47th minute, Abbie Marcial scored in the 58th minute off an assist from her sister Natalya Marcial and Hayden Kaut capped off the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 74th minute.
“We’re less worried about scoring and more concerned with playing good, team ball,” Napavine assistant coach Chris Tarabochia said. “Our next challenge is to see if we can do it in a fast-paced game.”
Napavine improves to 4-1 and hosts Ilwaco in its league opener on Monday.
Angela Gil-Munoz knocked in a goal in the 30th minute and Winlock battled Forks for a 1-1 tie on the road in non-league action on Wednesday.
“All the girls played really well,” Winlock coach Corny Sanchez said. “It was a team effort. We’re improving every game and working in the right direction.”
Winlock (0-3-1) hosts defending district champion Kalama in its league opener on Monday.
Junior scoring machine volleyball Brooklyn Sandridge notched a hat trick and Onalaska flew past visiting South Bend, 5-0, in a non-league match Wednesday.
Cece Russ and Jules Auman each added goals for the Loggers.
“Forwards Russ and Sandridge passed really well tonight,” Onalaska coach Chris Van Clifford said.
Onalaska (3-1) opens up league play Monday when it heads to Toutle Lake.
