The rain fell steadily, turning Philomath’s grass pitch into a slippery challenge, but the Warriors never let the conditions dampen their determination.
Philomath jumped on Molalla early and secured a 4-1 victory to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals at third-seeded Scappoose.
Gallery: PHS girls soccer vs. Molalla (Nov. 4, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 4-1 girls soccer win over Molalla in the 4A playoffs on Tuesday.
“We’ve really worked hard for this and we’re all very determined to get past the quarterfinals … you know, the quarterfinal curse for us,” junior goalkeeper Makena Sleeman said. “I think we will — we have the commitment, the energy and the effort.”
Sleeman isn’t exaggerating about the curse. Philomath has been eliminated in the quarterfinals in six straight tournaments dating back to 2018.
The Warriors (14-1-1) wasted no time taking control against Molalla (9-7). Senior Ana Candanoza found the net in just the second minute, assisted by sophomore Bethany Cannon, to set the tone.
Thirteen minutes later, sophomore Kya Bolton doubled the advantage with a header off a ball played in by sophomore Bella Nunez.
Molalla cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 25th minute when senior Abby LaVoie converted a penalty kick.
As the rain intensified in the second half, Bolton struck again in the 47th minute. Cannon fed Bolton in the middle, and despite being surrounded by Molalla defenders, Bolton steadied herself on the treacherous surface and finished for a 3-1 lead.
The slippery conditions in the middle of the field helped shape Philomath’s tactical approach.
“It’s definitely been a focus for us just being able to attack on the sides and not try to do too much in the middle,” Warriors coach Mat Phelps said. “Try to play good, solid defense in the middle and attack on the outside.”
Senior midfielder Ellie Dye provided the final goal in the 70th minute, though not quite as she intended. Bolton sent a corner kick into the box where Dye had it in her sights.
“I kind of got shoved a little, so I meant to head it and it hit my shoulder instead,” Dye said. “Like Matt just tells us, throw anything we can at the ball when we have a corner kick and just try to get it in.”
Phelps appreciated the result regardless of aesthetics.
“It doesn’t have to look pretty,” he said. “It just has to go in the back of that net and that’s what she did.”
While the offense capitalized on opportunities, Sleeman anchored the defense with eight saves. The conditions made her job even more challenging.
“It’s a lot harder to contain the balls — it’s just important to keep them in front,” Sleeman said. “As long as you have it in front with no balls in the back of the net, that’s the main goal. It is harder just because you have wet gloves, wet ball, wet grass but I’m used to it.”
Phelps praised his goalkeeper’s performance.
“She made some big saves,” he said. “She was on top of it and kept us right there. A couple of those could have gone in to make it a different game.”
The heavy rain demanded mental toughness throughout the match.
“I thought the girls did that several times,” Phelps said. “They cleared balls out of the six (the area in front of the goal) where we could have easily just given up on it.”
Now comes the real test. Philomath travels to Scappoose on Saturday for a quarterfinal rematch of sorts. The Warriors and Indians both enter with identical 14-1-1 records. Scappoose advanced with a 4-0 victory over Mazama.
The two schools last met in girls soccer in 2017 — coincidentally in the state quarterfinals over a third-seeded Indians squad — when Philomath earned a 1-0 victory on a goal by Carrie Lillis. The Warriors went on to reach the semifinals that year, the program’s last appearance in the final four.
Dye believes this team has what it takes to break through.
“I think we have a lot of determination and we’ve been playing well, so anything can happen,” she said.
Philomath 4, Molalla 1
Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Philomath HS
| Teams (Record) | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molalla (9-7) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Philomath (14-1-1) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
First Half — 1, Philomath, Candanoza (Cannon), 2nd minute; 2, Philomath, Bolton (Nunez), 15th minute; 3, Molalla, LaVoie (PK), 25th minute.
Second Half — 4, Philomath, Bolton (Cannon), 47th minute; 5, Philomath, Dye (Bolton), 70th minute.