COTTAGE GROVE– The offensive rhythm of the Cottage Grove boys’ soccer team would go like this.
Goalkeeper Josh Bruner would take a goal kick–successfully clearing the field. Midfielder Cristian González would settle the ball with a quick touch and dash up the field. Suddenly, the whole field, along with journalists, referees, and photographers on the sidelines, was running up the field. Then, Armando Legorreta was at the penalty box with a soaring ball hurling towards the net before anyone could reset.
However, there was one vital difference with this transition compared to earlier in the season: accuracy.
The Cottage Grove Lions downed a tough league opponent, the Marist Catholic Spartans with a score of 3-0 last Thursday. A shocking score, considering the Spartans edged out the Lions 1-0 earlier in the season. Most figured it would’ve been a tighter game.
Head coach, Jaime Urenda, remarks that the earlier Spartan loss was a part of a string of preseason losses the Lions struggled with. It also spoke to the overall picture of their difficulties with accuracy and finishing compared to last year
“The first game against Marist Catholic we missed so many shots,” said Urenda. “The guys knew that. We just didn’t put it in the net, but we played better than them. Our biggest issue this season has been putting the ball in the net, and as the league has progressed, we’ve gotten better and better. Obviously, you see the scores now versus the beginning of the season.”
This contrasts with the 23’ team, who blew away Cottage Grove spectators when they made it all the way to the state finals and lost by only one point to Newport / Waldport.
The ’23 team thrived in their accuracy and ability to finish. In 2024, after losing 23’s star power and previous strengths, Urenda had to navigate throughout the season to “hit their stride again.”
“That’s just the way soccer goes sometimes,” Urenda said. “We lost a couple of pieces from last year, but we also gained players. So we had to try to find the correct formation, where to put players, what situations, depending on what games. In addition to accuracy too we were d also struggling defensively at the beginning, so teams were getting by us.”
Cottage Grove had 50.4% possession to Marist Catholic’s 49.6% of the total game and took 18 shots on goals compared to Marist Catholic’s seven shots. Armando Legorreta had all three of the Lions’ goals with Hayes Valley assisting to the first two goals.
“After this win, I’m confident that the guys have bought into our new formation,” Urenda said. “They seem comfortable and settled in. This is a momentum that we needed going into the state playoffs, and to regain last year’s performance. The morale and the spirit that the guys have now after this game will carry over from here on out. The guys just had a chip on the shoulder, and you could see it tonight, the way we played, the intensity that was brought. I mean, Marist really couldn’t handle it.”