CRESWELL — Under what felt like a monsoon, the No. 6-seeded Creswell Bulldogs boys soccer team dominated No. 13-seeded Valley Catholic Valiants 3-1 in the Class 1A/2A/3A second-round playoff match last Wednesday night, advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in a decade.
“Last two years we went out in the second round, and that was not happening this year,” said coach Brandi Wittenborn. “We managed to keep our cool tonight … rain or shine, long haul, whatever came our way. They had it in their mind from the beginning.”
Spectators and the players walked onto a dry Markley Field for the national anthem. Upon the sound of the whistle, the rain started to trickle in and became a downpour that lasted until the last 20 minutes.
All photos by Craig Strobeck / The Chronicle
But not even the downpour could extinguish the Bulldogs’ flame, as they came out with an aggressive offensive attack in the first half. Matthew Jenkins scored the first goal of the evening midway through the half. Less than 10 minutes later, he struck again – this time finishing off a cross to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Five minutes later, Brady Pratt took a free kick and the ball curved into the net – lifting the Bulldogs to a 3-0 lead.
The Valiants had their own last-minute drive when they scored from the Bulldogs’ box five minutes before the game ended.
Wittenborn said it was due to a miscommunication.
“It was definitely some miscommunication,” she said. “Mostly over who’s covering who, and we should have stepped to – we just missed that.”
The Bulldogs recorded 16 shots on goal and freshman Diego Bocanegra recorded nine saves.
Wittenborn said she will continue to focus on their areas of improvement.
“I think sometimes for us, we just need to make a couple more of those quick adjustments,” Wittenborn said. “Whether defensively or seeing that open person more faster. Also, finishing those shots that we should be putting in the back of the net, for some reason, we just can’t get them to go in at times.”
Wittenborn has both Creswell teams in the semifinals.
Balancing the two teams may be a juggling act for the coach in her last year, but she and the Bulldogs are excited about what’s to come.
“I think we’re just taking it game by game,” she said. “We have nine seniors, and I think they’re just trying to take in every moment, play their heart out, and then obviously want to go as deep as we possibly can.”
All photos by Craig Strobeck / The Chronicle
