Lane women sense progress in inaugural soccer season.

Byline: Adam Jude The Register-Guard

Sean MonDragon has suddenly - and anxiously - emerged as one of the biggest fans of the newest sports program at Lane Community College.

Looking down on the Lane soccer field from atop a sideline hill, MonDragon, the school's athletic director, gnawed on his fingernails while waiting for the LCC women's soccer team to score its first goal against visiting Southwestern Oregon.

"It's exciting, you know," MonDragon said. "You can't beat this. It's a great day for soccer."

The aura and excitement of this inaugural season of Lane women's soccer wasn't lost during an otherwise disheartening 6-2 defeat to the Lakers before a small gathering Tuesday afternoon.

Despite a handful of early opportunities, the Titans trailed 3-0 at halftime and didn't score their first goal until Adriana Montes, a Springfield High product, knocked in a corner kick from Nina Jaramillo in the 70th minute.

Freshman Samantha Stewart, from Cottage Grove, added her second goal of the season later in the second half before the Lakers added two insurance goals in the final five minutes.

Lane fell to 0-4-1 this season in the NWAACC, but coach Shane Dasher said he has been pleased with his team's progress.

"I'm positive," he said. "It's only the first year, and once these girls get to know the system, I think by the end of this year we're going to be a very tough team."

With soccer growing as one of the country's most popular youth sports, Lane opted to add women's soccer while simultaneously saving baseball through private fundraising.

"This area has really become a hotbed for soccer," MonDragon said. "The numbers of some of the kids coming out for soccer are amazing, especially for girls soccer. The girls are loving it, and we want to provide as many opportunities as we can."

Dasher, the coach for the local Oregon United Soccer Academy club team, wasn't named the Lane coach until the beginning of May, leaving him just a few short months to put a team together.

"I completely started from scratch on May 1," Dasher said. "I missed the entire recruiting season, so it's a blessing to have such a quality group."

The roster is a collection of 18 freshmen and only one sophomore, most from the Midwestern League.

"This team has a lot of good players, but it's a matter of putting it on the field and making it work," said freshman Brittany Hayes, who helped Sheldon claim back-to-back state championships. "We're not used to the formations and we're still getting to know each other off the field. It can be frustrating at times, but we just need to stay positive and have hope."

The Titans bonded during their first road trip last weekend - a long trip to Eastern Washington made even longer after they were outscored 9-0 in losses to Walla Walla and Spokane.

"I was aware that we could be 0-4 right now," Dasher said. "Any time you find yourself in an 0-4 situation, the team and the girls are perplexed and they think they stink, but it's my job to make them understand the baby steps and (show) them the good things we took out of it.

"Every fan that came here today saw that we're a good soccer team. We have a team worth watching."

CAPTION(S):

Lane's Penny Sullivan (right) battles Michelle Carillo for a header during Tuesday's 6-2 home loss to Southwestern Oregon. Wayne Eastburn / The Register-Guard Jessica Lucas makes the stop in front of Lane's Samantha Stewart, who scored a goal in the second half.