Philomath High’s girls soccer team knew what it was signing up for when the schedule-makers put reigning Class 4A state champion Marist Catholic on the docket for the season opener. A young Warriors roster, already without leading scorer Kya Bolton, would have to find out fast just how far the gap is between themselves and one of the state’s perennial powers.
The answer Tuesday night at Philomath High School was a 7-0 defeat, but for coach Mat Phelps, the lopsided score didn’t tell the whole story of his team’s effort.
Gallery: PHS girls soccer vs. Marist Catholic (Sept. 1, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 7-0 girls soccer loss at home to Marist Catholic on Tuesday.
“We had some stretches, you know, 20 minutes here, 15 minutes there, where we really battled and we were playing with them,” Phelps said.
Marist Catholic, fresh off last year’s state title, wasted little time asserting itself. Senior Tori Sherman set up teammate Cruz Donawa in the 11th minute, and Donawa tapped the ball into the left-center section of the net for the game’s first goal. Eight minutes later, Donawa struck again after Philomath was unable to clear the ball out of the corner for a 2-0 lead.
Trailing by only two goals at halftime, Philomath had reason for optimism heading into the second half. However, that notion didn’t survive the opening kickoff. Senior Libby McLaughlin scored just 25 seconds into the second half, assisted by Sherman, to make it 3-0.
From there, Marist pulled away. The Spartans scored three more goals in a three- to four-minute span with Donawa finding the net in the 55th minute before McLaughlin scored back-to-back goals in the 57th and 58th minutes to complete a hat trick. McLaughlin finished with three goals and two assists, while Donawa also had three goals. Sherman added three assists.
Philomath kept Marist off the board for the better part of the second half before junior Grace Hankins scored in the 75th minute off an assist from sophomore Kiara Philyaw for the game’s final goal.
Phelps pointed to a lapse in communication as a key factor in how the game got away from his team.
“I think that there were about 15 minutes in the second half where we were just disconnected from one another,” Phelps said. “We were pretty quiet, not talking, and when we do that, that’s when we’re susceptible to giving up goals. And I think that’s when the bulk of their goals came, when we kind of stopped talking, stopped communicating with each other.”
With several first-year varsity players thrown into the fire on the backline, senior goalkeeper Makena Sleeman was busy throughout, and Phelps credited her with keeping the score from getting further out of hand.
“Throughout the season, we’re banking on her making good saves and just being an anchor back there for us,” Phelps said. “She was under a lot of pressure all day long. We had some young players playing on the backline that have never played in a varsity match before, and they battled.”
Senior Annaleise Brown also drew praise for her work on the back line against a talented Marist attack.
“She’s our backline returner that knows what to do and she’s got good speed,” Phelps said. “Especially in the first half, she really battled and went up against some of the best players in the state and held her own.”
Philomath had a couple of early looks at the Marist goal with senior Lucy Thomas and sophomore Jordyn Allen both getting chances in the first seven minutes. But the Warriors couldn’t find the finishing touch against a deep and experienced Marist roster.
The 7-0 setback was Philomath’s most lopsided loss since an 8-0 defeat at Valley Catholic in the 2014 quarterfinals.
Despite the rough start, Phelps was quick to frame the game as a measuring stick rather than a setback.
“We’ve got a young team and this is a tough game to throw them in for their first full game, but it’s also good — like this is where we want to be,” Phelps said. “We want to be playing against the best teams in the state, and that’s our expectation to continue to get better. And I think we’ve got a young group that will get better.”
Philomath will look to regroup this weekend at the Bend Soccer Showcase by facing Henley at 2 p.m. Friday and Crook County at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Marist Catholic 7, Philomath 0
Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Philomath HS
Teams (Record) 1 2 F Marist Catholic (1-0) 2 5 7 Philomath (0-1) 0 0 0
FIRST HALF—1, Marist Catholic, Donawa (Sherman), 11th minute; 2, Marist Catholic, Donawa (McLaughlin), 19th minute.
SECOND HALF—3, Marist Catholic, McLaughlin (Sherman), 41st minute; 4, Marist Catholic, Donawa (McLaughlin), 55th minute; 5, Marist Catholic, McLaughlin (Owen), 57th minute; 6, Marist Catholic, McLaughlin (Sherman), 58th minute; 7, Marist Catholic, Hankins (Philyaw), 75th minute.
JV—Philomath 2, Marist Catholic 1. Goals: Hernandez (Adams), 36th minute; Smith (Hernandez), 72nd minute.
OREGON WEST CONFERENCE
STANDINGS—Cascade 0-0-1, Stayton 0-0-1, Central 0-1, Newport 0-1, Philomath 0-1, Taft 0-1.
SCORES—Aug. 28: Klamath Union 7, Newport 0. Aug. 29: Cascade 0, Astoria 0. Sept. 1: Banks 8, Taft 0; Marist Catholic 7, Philomath 0; Stayton 1, Estacada 1; Dallas 5, Central 0.
