CPHS Soccer: Sandites fall 4-0 to nationally-ranked State Champions from Union

The last time the Union High School boys’ soccer team visited Veterans Memorial Stadium, it was in last season’s 6A State Finals when they blanked Jenks 4-0 for the Championship. They returned Friday and did the same to Charles Page High School (10-2, 3-2), holding the Sandites to their first scoreless match of the season.

The nationally-ranked No. 12 Redskins (9-3, 5-0) completely stymied a historically potent Sandite offense that averages three goals per game to remain perfect in district action with only a week left in the regular season.

Standout Sandite sophomore Fernando Saldana came out eager, taking a gorgeous shot in the first minute that Union keeper Miguel Bustos barely tipped out, but that was about as close as the Sandites would get. Bustos saved a Saldanda header in the 15th minute, and Jack Bratcher nearly deflected one in off the keeper in the 23rd.

The Redskins tallied seven shots on goal in the first half. Ethan Tippit saved one, one bounced one off the post, and Johnny Rodriguez put the team on the board in the 22nd minute for a 1-0 halftime lead.

Bustos managed to deflect a shot from Luke Jeffus in the 47th minute and saved the corresponding corner kick from Bratcher. Tippit made three more saves but gave up two more goals and Xander Quiroga relieved him in the box.

Anthony Reyes and Isaias Anaya notched goals for Union in the second half. Bratcher made one last run on goal as time expired but his shot was deflected out of bounds as time expired.

Union only needs to win one more match to clinch the district title and their post season berth is secure. They will host Capitol Hill (5-7, 2-3) Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Sandites will travel to Owasso (8-5, 4-1) Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

District 6A-4 Standings
4-0 Union (6-1)
3-1 Owasso (7-5)
3-4 Sand Springs (11-1)
2-2 Edmond Santa Fe (5-7)
2-2 Capitol Hill (5-6)
1-3 Norman (7-3)
1-3 Sapulpa (5-7)
0-4 Shawnee (8-4)

Goals
10 Fernando Saldana
4 Jeffus
4 Bratcher
4 Gustavo Saldana
1 Munoz
1 Cox
1 Esparza
1 Franco
1 Quinton
1 Brooks

Penalty Kicks
3 Fernando Saldana
3 Fancher
2 Jeffus
2 Gustavo Saldana
1 Cox
1 Summerton

Total Scores
13 Fernando Saldana
6 Jeffus
6 Gustavo Saldana
4 Bratcher
3 Fancher
2 Cox
1 Munoz
1 Esparza
1 Franco
1 Quinton
1 Summerton
1 Brooks

CPHS Soccer: Day saves the day, Lady Sandites notch first district win in Shawnee shootout

The Charles Page High School girls’ soccer team (6-5, 1-3) traveled to Shawnee Tuesday night riding a four-game losing streak, but snapped out of it with their first district victory of the season, putting them back at a winning overall record.

The Lady Wolves (3-6, 1-3) were coming off a 2-0 win over Capitol Hill (3-6, 0-3) that broke a three-game losing streak. They fell 1-0 in an overtime shootout, but held Sand Springs to 100 minutes of scoreless action. The Sandites started the season averaging 3.5 goals per match, but haven’t scored one since a 6-0 shutout of East Central (2-10) nearly a month ago.

Shawnee got a corner kick early in the first overtime period but sent it wide and Sand Springs quickly flipped the field. Arial Esparza got off two shots in the first overtime and sent one just barely over the goal. Sophomore Sandite goalie Ali Day made a save in the 87th minute.

Braunya Lewis saved a beautiful corner kick from Josie Gelsthorpe in the second overtime, then Alyssa Perry had a nearly perfect shot that just barely caught the top of the goal and spat back out.

Finally, the match went into a PK shootout tiebreaker.

Day saved a shot from Hope Young on the first kick, and the Wolves never caught back up. Hailey Saterfield, Sidney Waddell, and Amanda Harris made kicks for Shawnee, while Demi Deshazo, Perry, Esparza, and Kaslynn Horton scored for the Sandites. Trailing 4-3, it came down to Lillian Davis to keep the match alive, and Day made another save to secure the game.

The victory keeps the girls’ playoff hopes alive, but they’ll need to win at least two of their last three matches. They will host their last home game Friday at 6:00 p.m. against Union (2-5, 1-3) and will play Owasso (11-1, 4-0) and Capitol Hill (3-6, 0-3) next week.

District 6A-4 Standings
4-0 Owasso (11-1)
4-0 Sapulpa (11-1)
3-1 Norman (5-5)
2-2 Edmond Santa Fe (3-6)
1-3 Union (2-5)
1-3 Sand Springs (6-5)
1-3 Shawnee (3-6)
0-4 Capitol Hill (3-6)

Lady Sandite Season Scoring

Goals
6 Horn
3 Esparza
3 Metcalfe
2 Lynch
1 Watts
1 Deshazo
1 Patton
1 Burgess
1 Horton
1 Lee
1 Slankard
1 Poletek

PKs
3 Horn
2 Lynch
2 Deshazo
1 Watts
1 Gelsthorpe
1 Esparza
1 Horton
1 Perry

Total Scores
9 Horn
4 Lynch
4 Esparza
3 Metcalfe
3 Deshazo
2 Watts
2 Horton
1 Gelsthorpe
1 Patton
1 Burgess
1 Lee
1 Slankard
1 Poletek
1 Perry

CPHS Soccer: Fernando Saldana scores four, Sandites slam Shawnee 4-1

Sophomore standout Fernando Saldana scored a career-high three goals and one penalty kick Tuesday night, leading the Charles Page High School soccer team (10-1, 3-1) to a 4-1 victory against Shawnee (8-4, 0-4).

Saldana recorded his first hat trick of the season with a penalty kick four minutes into the second half, and scored his third goal in the the 52nd minute. He had to sit out the prior game after earning three yellow cards in nine matches, and the scoring he missed out on against Norman clearly rolled over.

Shawnee started hot but quickly ran out of momentum. Kossi Kodoe had a shot on goal less than a minute in that spat off the post, and Ethan Tippit saved the corresponding corner kick. Kodoe wouldn’t be stymied for long, however, and netted the Wolves’ first and only goal in the 12th minute of regulation.

Jack Bratcher was aggressive early on, nearly scoring a header on a corner kick that barely cleared the top of the goal. He sent a pair of shots a hair wide in the 7th and 15th minutes.

Gustavo Saldana had a shot saved in the 21st minute, Gustavo Franco sent one wide in the 24th, and Luke Jeffus bounced one off the post in the 26th before the team finally hit pay dirt. With twelve minutes left in the half, Bratcher had one rejected off the post but Fernando Saldana sent it back on a diving header to tie the match.

Franco, Bratcher, and Fernando Saldana continued to bring the heat in the final moments of the first half. Saldana had a shot hit the top of the post, deflect into the ground inside the goal, then spit back out, and Sebastian Rodriguez saved two Bratcher attempts in the final three minutes. Finally, Saldana notched the go-ahead goal on a deflection with under a minute left.

The Sandites were the aggressors through most of the night and had eight corner kicks to Shawnee’s three. Rodriguez saved multiple shots from Jeffus and Bratcher in the second half, and Miquel Sanchez also had a shot travel a hair wide.

Sand Springs Soccer will host its final home match of the regular season Friday at 8:00 p.m. against nationally-ranked No. 12 Union (6-1, 4-0), currently the top team in the district. They also have road matches against Owasso (7-5, 3-1) and Capitol Hill (5-6, 2-2) next week before Playoff assignments are released.

District 6A-4 Standings
4-0 Union (6-1)
3-1 Owasso (7-5)
3-4 Sand Springs (11-1)
2-2 Edmond Santa Fe (5-7)
2-2 Capitol Hill (5-6)
1-3 Norman (7-3)
1-3 Sapulpa (5-7)
0-4 Shawnee (8-4)

Goals
10 Fernando Saldana
4 Jeffus
4 Bratcher
4 Gustavo Saldana
1 Munoz
1 Cox
1 Esparza
1 Franco
1 Quinton
1 Brooks

Penalty Kicks
3 Fernando Saldana
3 Fancher
2 Jeffus
2 Gustavo Saldana
1 Cox
1 Summerton

Total Scores
13 Fernando Saldana
6 Jeffus
6 Gustavo Saldana
4 Bratcher
3 Fancher
2 Cox
1 Munoz
1 Esparza
1 Franco
1 Quinton
1 Summerton
1 Brooks