Moving day is a term that golfers use to mean the day before the final round of a tournament. It could also describe what happened this week on the volleyball court and soccer pitch for some local teams.
Astoria volleyball on the cusp
It won’t be a league title for Astoria’s volleyball team this year, but a second place is all but wrapped up after two victories this week.
The Fishermen snapped a three-game losing streak with a straight set win over Tillamook on Tuesday. After losing to Marist Catholic, Valley Catholic and Banks last week, Astoria completed their season sweep of Tillamook by a score of 25-16, 26-24 and 25-17.
Astoria doubled back on Thursday evening with a straight set win over rival Seaside in the Clatsop Clash. The Fishermen handled a feisty Seagulls team by a score of 25-8, 25-11, and 25-14.
Though the score seemed lopsided, both teams were sharp in this one. Seaside was hampered by not having starting libero Chloe Baker, who is out with an injury, but the Seagulls still put up a good fight.
After scoring just eight points in the first set, the Seagulls did a good job playing themselves into the match. Both teams had a number of back-and-forth rallies, and the Seagulls did a decent job blocking shots at the net and were able to string together some good passing sequences. With how well the Seagulls played, the match could have been closer if Astoria was a little off — but the Fishermen weren’t.
With the 4A playoffs fast approaching, teams want to be trending towards playing their best volleyball. Thursday night was a sharp one for Astoria.
The Fishermen did a good job all night of serving, playing defense and running offense. Celebrating her 18th birthday on Thursday, Lyla Carlson did a great job setting the ball all night. For one of the first times all season, Astoria was able to use Kyah Gohr as a decoy and get outside hitter Sofia Nygaard easier attempts. Knowing the defense will be keying on one player allows Astoria to mix up its offense. Thursday was a good showing in that department and something they will continue working on as the playoffs approach.
With one game left against Scappoose next Monday, the Fishermen will look to continue their playoff tuneup. The upcoming game against Scappoose will be at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26.
Warrenton volleyball finishes regular season
Warrenton volleyball wrapped up its regular season Tuesday night with a three-set victory against winless Rainier. The Columbians entered Tuesday with a 2-16 record and 0-9 in league. They were not able to keep up with the Warriors as Warrenton cruised to a 25-10, 25-13 and 25-12 victory.
With the victory, Warrenton finished 14-8 overall and 7-3 in league. The 7-3 mark was good enough to tie with Corbett for second behind Catlin Gabel. Warrenton hosted Corbett in a winner-take-all Friday afternoon game. The winner clinches a spot in the field of 16, while the loser would have to play themselves into the postseason.
Astoria girls soccer gets playoff chance help
The Astoria girls soccer team took a big step in their playoff push with two big results on Tuesday and Thursday. A 0-0 draw against Banks on Tuesday and a 2-0 victory over Tillamook/Neah-Kah-Nie on Thursday, now puts the Lady Fishermen in the 16th and final playoff qualifying spot.
The Lady Fishermen needed a good result Tuesday night to give themselves a shot to sneak into the 4A playoffs. After missing out on the playoffs last year, Astoria has been in contention all year. A big early league win against Valley Catholic boosted their chances and the Fishermen came into Tuesday night No. 17 in 4A and ranked third in the Cowapa League.
Banks defeated Astoria 2-0 on Sept. 29 and were ranked No. 6 in 4A coming in. Both teams had good chances in the first half. Roberta Chavez had the best chance for Astoria in the 15th minute, but Braves goalie Kenzie Turner came up with a good save. Banks had a free kick hit the post two minutes later and each team got a couple more chances in the first half.
The second half was the Aryana Adams show for Astoria.
The senior captain came up with three clutch saves to keep the Braves off the scoresheet. Adams denied Nylah Vantrom in the 63rd minute and then had a double save in the 71st minute. Despite Banks pressing late in the match, Astoria held on for a big time draw.
The Fishermen doubled back and defeated Tillamook/Neah-Kah-Nie on Thursday night.
After a scoreless first half, sophomore Zoe Wright found the net twice in the second half to lead Astoria. The first goal from Wright came on a hustle play. Fishermen forward Roberta Chavez was taking on two Cheesemakers defenders and eventually was able to get a shot off that was saved. Wright, who was trailing the play, tapped home the rebound to break the seal in the 53rd minute. Her next goal came in the 65th minute as she took a ball from the right side and found the far corner.
The Fishermen came close to scoring more than two as they controlled much of the second half possession. Nonetheless, the girls did enough to earn themselves a crucial victory.
With the win, Astoria now sits at 6-5-2 overall and third in league with a 4-3-1 record. The Fishermen enter their final week of play ranked No. 16 in 4A. Next up for Astoria will be a home game against Seaside. That game will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and it also is senior night for the Fishermen soccer program.
Hard work finally pays off for Astoria boys soccer
Defense has not been the problem for Astoria’s boys soccer team. Outside of a pair of 7-0 defeats to 4A No.4 Valley Catholic, the Fishermen boys have been competitive in every other league game.
Though the Fishermen defense has been a strength during league, the boys have struggled to score goals. Coming into Tuesday night against Banks, Astoria had scored just seven goals on the year. The Fishermen didn’t light up the scoreboard on Tuesday, but they did find a way to break through with a goal to take home a 1-0 victory. This win snapped a nine-game winless streak and was the first time Astoria scored a goal since Oct. 1.
The victory saw Astoria move into a tie with rival Seaside for fifth in league. Both teams have three games remaining and will play each other once more. The final Clatsop Clash of the soccer season will start at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct.27.
Seaside boys fall to league leader
League leader Tillamook/Neah-Kah-Nie swept aside the Seaside boys in soccer on Tuesday night.
The Cheesemakers kept their undefeated league record afloat with a 3-1 victory over the Seagulls. Now Tillamook is 5-0-2 in league play and 6-3-3 overall. After starting the season 0-3, Tillamook now has yet to lose a game since Sept. 10.
Seaside on the other hand, fell to 3-8-1 overall and 1-6 during its rebuilding season. After losing much of their varsity roster last year, the Seagulls have just six seniors on this year’s team. Like Astoria, the Seagulls will look to use the final games as a building block for next season.
Seaside girls soccer ties twice
Results-wise, this was one of the best weeks of the season for the Seaside girls soccer team.
The last time they had an undefeated week was back on Sept. 4 and 5, when they beat Ontario and Baker at the Bend Soccer Showcase. Since then it’s been mostly a struggle.
This week, the Lady Gulls were able to pull off two ties. A 1-1 draw on Tuesday against Tillamook/Neah-Kah-Nie and a then a 0-0 draw against Valley Catholic on Thursday capped off the week . Seaside is still winless in league at 0-6-2, but at least the girls were able to halt their losing streak this week.
With two games left in the season, Seaside has a golden opportunity to play spoiler. Tuesday is the Clatsop Clash against Astoria and Thursday is a road game against 4A No. 6 ranked Banks. Though the Seagulls won’t be able to knock out Banks, they can put a dent in their playoff seeding. The Seagulls can easily knock out their Clatsop rivals on Tuesday, though. With the Fishermen being right on the cusp of the playoffs, a Seaside upset could permanently damage their chances.
So even though the Seagulls won’t return to the playoffs this year, they can still determine playoff seeding in the season’s final week.