Best-Ever Siskiyous Women’s Soccer Team to Celebrate Sophomores Friday

A strong group of freshmen have put up some big numbers in this best-ever College of the Siskiyous women's soccer season. But coach Ed Kephart says the five sophomores who stuck with the team after last year's player shortage "are the reason the program's still going."

Those sophomores -- midfielder Abigail Escobedo of Weed, defender Elyssa Harrison of McCloud, forward Alexa Luquin and midfielder Sophia Coleman of Mount Shasta, and defender Litzy Ochoa-Garcia of Yreka -- will be recognized before the 11 a.m. start of Friday's final home game against Redwoods.

The Eagles have come a long way since last year when they won just 3 of their 18 matches and often had only 9 or 10 players available. This year's sophomores rarely came off the field as freshmen.

Now the Eagles will take a 12-1-2 overall record into Friday's Sophomore Day game. They're 4-1-1 in conference and second behind the only team they've lost to, Lake Tahoe (13-1-2 and 6-0). Of course, Lake Tahoe hasn't lost a Golden Valley Conference match since 2016 and has only allowed 5 goals in conference play since 2017, just one this season.

The Eagles only allowed 4 goals in their first 12 games this season before a 10-0 loss to Tahoe October 8th. The score was 5-0 before Tahoe scored 5 times in the final 8 minutes after both teams made many substitutions.

Kephart said the Eagles, who are ranked No. 17 in the state, can reach the playoffs if they finish second in conference. But that won't be an easy task. After Friday's game against Redwoods (3-5-1 and 0-5-1 GVC), the Eagles finish the season on the road against tough opponents: Feather River (8-5-2 and 2-2-1), Lake Tahoe, and Butte (3-2 and 6-8-2).

On their home field, the Eagles tied Feather River, 1-1, and beat Butte, 2-1.

In a 7-1 road victory at Shasta this Tuesday, freshman Brooklyn Wade scored 4 goals and took over the state lead in scoring with 26 goals. She already holds the Eagles' career scoring record, which was 19 before this season. Wade is also second in the state with 56 points.

Freshman midfielder Maddie Towner scored a goal and had 3 assists at Shasta to take over the team lead with 11 assists. Abigail Escobedo had an assist at Shasta and is second on the team in that category with 9. Towner ranks third in the state in assists and Escobedo is tied for seventh.

Goalkeeper Avery Suhr, another Eagle freshman, ranks second in conference with just 10 goals allowed in 13 games. Other than the Lake Tahoe game, she's allowed only 5 goals in 12 games.

All five sophomores are from local high schools and "they're all great kids," Kephart said. Escobedo has started 14 games, scored 3 goals with 9 assists and 15 points. Harrison has started 13 games and plays a key role for the defense. She has 1 goal and 1 assist.

Kephart said Luquin has been good off the bench and Coleman and Ochoa-Garcia have made significant contributions. Luquin has started once, played in 12 games, and scored all 4 of her goals in conference. Ochoa-Garcia started 2 of the 10 games she's played in.

All the sophomores except Ochoa-Garcia played in Tuesday's win at Shasta, where Brooklynn Wade scored 3 of her 4 goals in the first half. The first came off on an assist from Escobedo 5 minutes into the game, the second was 14 minutes into the game with an assist from Maddie Towner.

Freshman midfielder Corynn Lemos scored the first of her two goals at the 22 minute mark off an assist from Wade, then Wade scored 31 minutes into the game on the second of Towner's 3 assists.

Towner scored with an assist from Lemos early in the second half to up the lead to 5-1, then Lemos scored off an assist from Towner before Wade finished the scoring with an unassisted goal.

Freshman goalkeepers Avery Suhr and Oceanna Knight had 3 saves each.

Lemos and freshman forward Maiyah McDonald are tied for second on the team with 6 goals each, and freshman forward Jonell Alderson is third on the team with 7 assists.

Other key freshmen on this year's team are midfielder Katie Effa, who has started 14 games and scored 4 goals with 2 assists; midfielder Meadow Cummings, who has started 14 games and has an assist; defender Harrison Poe, who has started 13 games and scored 3 goals; defender Isabella Ault, who has started 3 of the 12 games she's played in; and defender Sybella Worley, who has started 3 of the 10 games she's played in.

"It's been a great ride," Kephart said. "We'll see how long we can keep it going."