Fourth-seeded River Falls held No. 1 seed Oregon to one goal through 76 minutes in the Division 2 semifinals at the WIAA State Soccer Tournament Friday in Milwaukee. But with the Wildcats pressing for the tying goal late, Oregon scored twice in the final four minutes to walk away with a 3-0 victory.
River Falls' Nathalie Rotsaert connects on a header in the Wildcats’ 3-0 loss to Oregon in a WIAA Division 2 state semifinal on Friday, June 14, at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee. Jack Miller / Wisconsin Media Group
It was the third state tournament appearance for River Falls in program history, with the previous two also ending in semifinal losses in 2011 and 2018.
Oregan, meanwhile, was making its ninth straight state tournament appearance and advanced to face Whitefish Bay in Saturday’s Division 2 state championship game for the third straight year, where they earned a 1-0 victory to claim the program’s fourth state title.
Oregon struck in the 18th minute off a pass into the box from the right wing and went into halftime outshooting River Falls 10-3.
River Falls' Lillia Gray (6) handles the ball in the Wildcats’ 3-0 loss to Oregon in a WIAA Division 2 state semifinal on Friday, June 14, at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee. Jack Miller / Wisconsin Media Group
The Wildcats kept the game within a goal’s reach until the 76th minute, when the Panthers scored on a well-placed shot off the left post. They scored again with just 1 minute, 42 seconds remaining after a shot hit the post and deflected back into the middle for a rebound goal.
Oregon outshot River Falls 22-5 for the game, with nine of those shots getting through to Wildcat freshman goalie Neva Espanet, who stopped six of them.
Oregon finished its season with a record of 18-1-1 and its second state championship in three years, while River Falls’ season ended with a record of 13-4-7.
It was the third state tournament appearance in the last 13 years for the Wildcats. During that time the Cats have made 10 sectional final appearances, won ten straight regional titles and claimed 12 regional titles overall.
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