Girls soccer: Oregon routs Rockford Lutheran, improves to 5-0

OREGON – High-powered offense. Dominating defense. Those were the keys for Oregon in an 8-0 Big Northern Conference victory over Rockford Lutheran on Thursday at Oregon Park West.

On a rainy, chilly, windy evening, the Hawks (5-0) came out red hot, scoring all eight goals in the first half, including four in the first eight minutes.

Junior midfielder Anna Stender led the charge, scoring four goals and assisting on one in a span of 31 minutes, 42 seconds.

Stender struck first at the 35:33 mark, giving Oregon a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, Stender knocked in another shot off a cross-goal pass from senior midfielder Kenna Wubbena.

Stender returned the favor to Wubbena less than a minute after that for a 3-0 advantage.

“We’ve been doing real well at passing, doing give-and-go’s. We know if a player holds onto the ball longer than they should, and it’s really a team aspect,” Stender said. “We’ve been getting those passes in, and it allows us openings for shots.”

Senior forward Deborah Schmid scored the first of her three goals at the 32:20 mark, finding a crease up the middle and firing a straight shot past the goalie.

Stender scored goal No. 3 just over six minutes later, then Schmid scored back-to-back goals less than a minute apart to stretch the lead to 7-0.

Stender found a gap up the middle for Oregon’s eighth and final goal with 8:18 to play in the first half.

“Obviously, it makes us feel better and not be scared and timid,” Stender said of getting the early lead. “I think we like to start off strong to get everything started, then it builds our confidence and makes us more upbeat and having better energy, which is a big part of winning.”

Rockford Lutheran (0-4) had a shot on goal around the five-minute mark but failed to capitalize on its only first-half scoring opportunity. Oregon easily controlled the time of possession before halftime.

“I was really impressed. Our defense did a great job,” Schmid said. “It was a good reason that they never scored a goal, just because our defense did a great job of playing well together.”

The teams played a 20-minute second half because of the lopsided score. The Hawks rolled out a number of backups after halftime but still managed to hold Lutheran scoreless.

Schmid added two assists to the hat-trick performance, while Wubbena scored one goal and assisted on two more. Senior defender Teagan Champley also recorded two assists, and senior central defensive midfielder Mya Engelkes chipped in one assist for the Hawks.

Freshman goalkeeper Mili Zavala recorded one save in Oregon’s shutout. The Crusaders managed only two shots on goal all game.

“I think that we have great potential,” Schmid said. “As Anna already said, we play well together, and I think we have a good chance to beat really good teams because we play well together and have a strong team spirit.”