The FC Salmon Creek Nemesis girls soccer team won the Oregon State Cup championship in the under-15 age division.
The Nemesis scored twice in overtime on May 7 to beat the Rogue Valley Timbers Red 4-2 in the championship match. Ava Benedetti scored three of the goals, including the go-ahead goal in overtime after the teams battled to a 2-2 draw through 80 minutes. MacKenzie Ellertson added the insurance goal.
The win earned the Nemesis a second consecutive berth in the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals. The 2016 regionals are scheduled June 20-16 in Boise. The FC Salmon Creek team won a Washington state title in 2015 to qualify for last summer’s regionals.
In this state tournament, seven players scored goals as the Nemesis outscored its opponents 25-5, including a 6-1 win on May 1 over a BSC Portland team and a 5-2 quarterfinal win on April 30.
The Nemesis is coached by Tina Ellertson, former United States women’s national team player and Hudson’s Bay High School graduate. Over the past three years the Nemesis team of girls born in 2000 has qualified for multiple top-flight competitions both regionally and nationally.
The Nemesis squad that won this championship has players who attend nine schools in the region.
They are: Camas High’s Avery Fairbrother, Jenna Efraimson, Jazzlyn Paulson and Callie Rheaume; Prairie’s Malaika Quigley, Sydney Weber, Savannah Harshbarger and Kaylin Sperley; Union’s Brin Wolvert and Maddie Goss; Battle Ground’s Ally Turkinton; Payton Lindell (Washougal Middle School); MacKenzie Ellertson (King’s Way Christian); Ava Benedetti and Hallie Byzewski (Central Catholic), Bella Serrano (Gresham, Ore.); and Baylee Groom (Sandy, Ore.).
Youth rowing regionals this week
More than 1,000 youth rowers representing 28 clubs will be at Vancouver Lake this week for the U.S. Rowing Northwest Youth Championships.
Vancouver Lake Crew will have entries in many of the divisions, including about 30 participating in the varsity races that determine qualifications for the youth national championships.
Racing is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. to noon on Sunday. A total of 60 champions will be crowned in categories ranging from novice to varsity for boys and girls.
The public is welcome to watch the races from Vancouver Lake Regional Park.
Wednesday run at Pacific Park
Eric Dolezal of Vancouver won the Clark County Running Club Homestead Park 3K run on May 11.
Dolezal, 34, completed the 3-kilometer course in 9 minutes and 48 seconds, 1:17 ahead of runner-up Rolf Vollek.
Katarina Mueller, 24, of Vancouver was third and the first female finisher with a time of 11:59.
Results are in the Community Sports Scoreboard.
Next in the series of CCRC Wednesday evening runs is a 6:30 p.m. race at Pacific Park. Participants will have 45 minutes to run a 1.4-mile loop as many times as they can.
COMMUNITY SPORTS NEWS is published each Tuesday. Submit items by sending email to paul.danzer@columbian.com, or call 360-735-4521.
