Philomath High School placed eight players on the all-Oregon West Conference girls soccer team, including three first-team picks — junior midfielder/forward Kya Bolton, junior midfielder Bella Nuñez and senior defender Annaleise Brown.
Freshman midfielder Lilly Ellis, sophomore forward Autumn Wilson, freshman defender Noelle Gonzalez-Bush and senior goalkeeper Makena Sleeman made the second team, and junior midfielder/forward Bethany Cannon received honorable mention.
Bolton missed the first six games of the season, including the Oregon West opener at Newport. She returned Sept. 29 against Taft and scored an unassisted goal in the 18th minute.
“Even in that period of working back in, it was obvious what kind of player she is,” Philomath coach Mat Phelps said. “She’s a really quality player who can be really dominant, and that’s obvious to others and to the other coaches.”
Having her on the field gave the rest of the lineup a lift.
“I think it certainly gives you a lot of confidence, knowing you’ve got somebody who can control the ball, who can score goals, who can set you up,” Phelps said. “I think it helps elevate everybody’s level of play.”
Nuñez earned her spot from a position that doesn’t usually draw attention.
“As more of a defensive midfielder, it can be difficult to get recognized sometimes on these teams because you don’t have the most stats and you’re not involved in goals as much,” Phelps said. “But if you watch the game, you see her impact. She’s relentless in trying to win the ball, and she can hold possession and distribute for our team.”
Phelps said Nuñez took a step forward from last season and became a leader in the midfield. That was especially true early in the season, when Bolton was out and Nuñez moved up to play forward.
“Her work ethic and the presence she has on the field were really obvious this year,” Phelps said. “I thought Bella did a really good job this year of stepping in and being a dominant force in there.”
Brown anchored a defense that allowed just two goals in league play. Philomath posted seven shutouts in nine conference matches (the team’s 10th league game was a forfeit win). Both goals surrendered came in victories, one in the league opener at Newport and the other in the season finale at Stayton.
“I think that’s an obvious one, a no-doubter,” Phelps said about Brown’s honor. “We have a very good team all around, but she controls the back line. And it’s not just that she’s bigger and faster than people. She has skill. She can settle the ball and win it, and when she wins it, she’s able to dribble out or pass out.”
Brown got to join the attack at times, too, and scored a couple of goals and added a couple of assists.
“If I gave her the green light, she could just dribble from the back all the way up if she wanted to,” Phelps said.
Phelps thought some of his players deserved a higher spot on the all-conference team.
“Unfortunately, I feel like we probably should have had more first-team players selected,” Phelps said. “But when you don’t have the stats that some of the other teams have, teams that aren’t as balanced, it can be difficult to get recognized. And unfortunately, I don’t get to vote for my own players.”
Stayton sophomore midfielder Karley Dessieux was named Player of the Year. Cascade junior Parker Randall was Goalkeeper of the Year. The Coach of the Year honor went to Stayton’s Daniel Curiel.
Philomath won the Oregon West title with a 9-0-1 league record, one game ahead of second-place Stayton, and finished 11-4-1 overall. The Warriors ended the regular season ranked No. 9 in Class 4A and lost 3-2 to Estacada in a first-round home playoff game on Nov. 4.
All-Oregon West Conference
Player of the Year — Karley Dessieux, So., Stayton
Goalkeeper of the Year — Parker Randall, Jr., Cascade
Coach of the Year — Daniel Curiel, Stayton
FIRST TEAM
Field — Karley Dessieux, So., Stayton; Halle Hammer, Sr., Cascade; Olivia Richardson, Jr., Newport; Kya Bolton, Jr., Philomath; Destyne Adams, Sr., Stayton; Azul Sosa, Jr., Central; Bella Nuñez, Jr., Philomath; Daphne Grant, So., Newport
Defenders — Joy Rosales, So., Stayton; Hayden Cantrell, Fr., Cascade; Annaleise Brown, Sr., Philomath
Goalkeeper — Parker Randall, Jr., Cascade
SECOND TEAM
Field — Natalie Nuñez, So., Cascade; Alice Morgan, So., Stayton; Rhianna Silva, So., Newport; Lilly Ellis, Fr., Philomath; Autumn Wilson, So., Philomath
Defenders — Daisy Nicolas Cobo, Jr., Taft; Mia Estrella Galvan, So., Central; Kaitlyn Webb, Sr., Cascade; Noelle Gonzalez-Bush, Fr., Philomath; Ana-Alliah LaVelle, Jr., Stayton
Goalkeeper — Makena Sleeman, Sr., Philomath
HONORABLE MENTION
Field — Bethany Cannon, Jr., Philomath; Roselyn McCants, Sr., Stayton; Ollie Newell, So., Newport; Emily Huber, Sr., Cascade; Maddisyn Manzo, Fr., Stayton; Avrie Alaniz, Sr., Central
Defenders — Eislee Newell, Jr., Newport; Bri Carrol, Sr., Cascade
Goalkeepers — Ava Graves, Jr., Taft; Alhia Ramos, So., Stayton
