CPHS Soccer: Sandites fall 2-1 to Union in OT, Esparza ends team scoring drought

Three nights after snapping a four-game losing streak in an overtime shootout, the Charles Page High School girls’ soccer team (6-6, 1-4) snapped yet another streak, scoring their first goal in a month. Though the Lady Sandites fell 2-1 in sudden victory overtime to Union (6-7, 2-3) and were eliminated from playoff contention, they got a moral victory when Ari Esparza ended a five-match scoring drought.

The visitors were the aggressors for most of the night, outshooting the Sandites sixteen to four. But all those shots amounted to only two goals. Germari Harris had a close call in the 7th minute that barely caught the post and spat out. Sophomore goalie Ali Day recorded ten saves, and a few other shots were just a hair wide or high.

Rachel Wheeler scored the lone regulation goal for Union in the 57th minute with an assist from Mackenzie Malham, but Esparza sent one just over the Redskin keeper’s fingertips to tie it in the 68th minute.

Union loaded the Sandite box during a hectic 77th minute and took a pair of shots, but both bounced off Sandite defenders. Day saved a shot from Holli Meyer in the 78th and deflected a corner kick from Raquel Fanelli with just nine seconds left. Malham took one last shot as time expired that traveled a hair wide to the left.

The Redskins came ready to rumble in overtime, however, and needed only eighteen seconds to score the golden goal on a double-assist that had Day trying to cover three directions at once.

Sand Springs has only two matches left, both on the road. The girls will travel to Owasso (12-1, 5-0) Tuesday and Capitol Hill (3-6, 0-3) Thursday.

District 6A-4 Standings
5-0 Sapulpa (12-1)
5-0 Owasso (12-1)
3-1 Norman (5-5)
2-3 Edmond Santa Fe (3-7)
2-3 Union (6-7)
1-4 Sand Springs (6-6)
0-3 Capitol Hill (3-6)
0-4 Shawnee (3-7)

CPHS Season Stats

Goals
6 Horn
4 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 Scoring
9 Horn
5 Esparza
4 Lynch
3 Metcalfe
3 Deshazo
2 Watts
2 Horton
1 Gelsthorpe
1 Patton
1 Burgess
1 Lee
1 Slankard
1 Poletek
1 Perry

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: Sandites' historic ten win streak ends in PK shootout with Norman

The Charles Page High School boys’ soccer team (9-1, 2-1) suffered their first loss of the season Friday night in an overtime shootout against Norman (7-2, 1-2). The Sandites kicked off a ten-match win streak in the 2018 season finale and were undefeated for the first five weeks of the 2019 season in what could very likely be a record-setting run for the program.

It’s hard to say for certain that it hasn’t been done because historic records haven’t been properly kept in decades past. But since Sandite Pride News launched in 2014, their best record has been the 5-9 tally they reached in the past two consecutive seasons. Since then they haven’t won two district matches in a season till now.

The team that finally beat them is 16th in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings.

If the Sandites continue winning the way they have been, they could easily qualify for the State Tournament. Regardless of how the final three weeks shake out, this team has already left its mark as one of the most successful teams in program history.

On Tuesday the boys notched their ninth win of the season in an overtime shootout against Edmond Santa Fe (4-7, 1-2). Jack Bratcher notched the lone goal in regulation, and neither team scored in the two overtime periods. In the shootout Luke Jeffus, Fernando Saldana, David Fancher, and Cameron Summerton made penalty kicks to secure the win.

The team lost Saldana, their leading scorer, after he drew his third yellow card in nine games and was forced to sit out Friday.

The match went scoreless till the 67th minute of regulation when Sandite goalkeeper Ethan Tippit fouled Leyton Lawter and the Tigers were awarded a penalty kick. Jackson Kim put the visitors on the board and things looked bleak for the home team.

Kaleb Brooks came up clutch for the Sandites, netting his first goal of the season with only three minutes remaining. A yellow card was issued to a Norman player after Bratcher was fouled with six seconds left to play and Kaiden Cox took a free kick, but time ran out and the boys went to overtime for the second time this week.

Following two scoreless overtime periods and a hundred minutes of game time, the match came down to a penalty kick shootout. Sophomore Xander Quiroga took over at goalie for Sand Springs and University of North Carolina Asheville-commit Nate Holladay played defense for the Tigers.

Jeffus and Grady Wade made the first kick for each team, but Gustavo Saldana caught the top post on the second kick and Griffin Storm gave the Tigers the lead. Fancher got the Sandites back on track, Jackson Kim retaliated, then Summerton and Ted Foster missed wide.

Trailing 3-2, it came down to Bratcher. The standout sophomore was right on target, but Holladay made the save to knock off one of only two undefeated teams remaining in Class 6A. The only remaining undefeated is nationally-ranked No. 5 Jenks (7-0).

The Lady Sandites (5-6, 0-3) suffered their fourth-straight shutout loss and are still looking for their first district win. Since defeating East Central 6-0 in mid-March, the girls have fallen 0-2 to Enid, 0-7 to Sapulpa, 0-2 to Edmond Santa Fe, and 0-4 to Norman.

Sophomore forward Brooke Goodman scored the first two goals for Norman, putting the Tigers on the board in the 11th minute and notching a brace just 80 seconds later. Aly Burkhart made a penalty kick six minutes into the second half and Megan Jones scored a header in the 67th minute. Despite the loss, sophomore goalie Ali Day was exception with numerous saves against the potent Tiger offense.

Sand Springs Soccer will return to action Tuesday with a district trip to Shawnee. Norman will travel to Edmond Santa Fe on Tuesday. Girls will play at 6:00 p.m. followed by boys at 8:00 p.m.

OSSAA District 6A-4 Girls Standings
3-0 Owasso (10-1)
3-0 Sapulpa (10-1)
2-1 Norman (5-5)
2-1 Edmond Santa Fe (3-5)
1-2 Union (2-4)
0-2 Shawnee (3-5)
0-2 Capitol Hill (3-5)
0-3 Sand Springs (5-6)

OSSAA District 6A-4 Boys Standings
3-0 Owasso (7-4)
3-0 Union (5-1)
2-1 Sand Springs (9-1)
1-2 Edmond Santa Fe (4-7)
1-2 Norman (7-2)
1-2 Sapulpa (5-6)
1-2 Capitol Hill (4-6)
0-3 Shawnee (8-3)

CPHS Boys Stats

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

PKs
3 Fancher
2 Fernando Saldana
2 Jeffus
2 Gustavo Saldana
1 Cox
1 Summerton

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

CPHS Girls Stats

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
1 Watts
1 Gelsthorpe
1 DeShazo

Total Scoring
9 Horn
4 Lynch
3 Esparza
3 Metcalfe
2 Watts
2 DeShazo
1 Gelsthorpe
1 Patton
1 Burgess
1 Horton
1 Lee
1 Slankard
1 Poletek

CPHS Soccer: Undefeated boys best Sapulpa 5-1 on Senior Night, girls fall 7-0

The Charles Page High School boys’ soccer team (8-0, 1-0) won its ninth-straight match and first district match of the season Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. They prevailed 5-1 against their Highway 97 rivals from Sapulpa (1-5, 0-1) on Senior Night.

Senior forward Dawson Quinton scored his first goal of the season seven minutes into the match, but things slowed down from there and the Sandites only led 1-0 at the half.

 Things opened up in the second period and the home team had numerous shots on goal. Luke Jeffus got a free kick on a Chieftain handball. His first shot hit the back of a Chieftain defender and came right back to him. The second shot was deflected by the goalie, but Jack Bratcher knocked it in for the 2-0 advantage.

Gustavo Saldana deflected a shot in off the goal post and Fernando Saldana scored in the 59th minute with an assist from Kaleb Brooks. Nic Fulmer averted the shutout, receiving a corner kick from TJ Hale for the lone Chieftain goal with ten minute remaining in the match. Gustavo Saldana took a corner kick and Jeffus knocked in a header for the final goal in the 74th minute.

 The Sapulpa girls (5-1, 1-0) bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 7-0 shutout of Sand Springs (5-3, 0-1).

The visitors jumped out to a quick lead, with Kalyn Anderson scoring a header in the 8th minute. Sara Arundell scored a long shot from thirty yards out in the 10th minute, then Abby Graham scored on an assist from Addyson Hoey four minutes later.

Ali Day snagged four remarkable saves late in the first half, but Arundell notched a brace in the 24th minute to take a 4-0 lead into the locker room.

Anderson kicked her second goal of the night just five minutes into the second half, and Abby Graham got on the scoreboard in the 59th minute. Arundell made it a hat trick on a free kick with nine minutes to play. Day recorded four more saves in the second half.

Sand Springs Soccer will return to action Tuesday, April 2nd in a district road game at Edmond Santa Fe. The Santa Fe girls are 1-4, 1-0 while the boys are 4-4, 1-0.

Between matches the Sandites celebrated seventeen seniors.

Ali Carlisle is the daughter of Dean and Jean Carlisle and has been on the team for two years. She is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) and plans to become a registered nurse. Her favorite soccer memory is the bus rides.

Amrey Lee is the daughter of Tammy and David Carter and has been a varsity player for four years. She is a member of NHS and plans to pursue a degree in nursing from Tulsa Community College (TCC) before attending the University of Oklahoma (OU) to become a trauma doctor. Her favorite soccer memory is “The Tripod.”

Cherysh Meyers is the daughter of Brandee Holland and Samson Meyers. She has been a member of Sandite Soccer for two years. After graduating she plans to attend TCC and Oral Roberts University with the goal of working in Sports Management. Her favorite soccer memory is the excitement of winning in PKs against Coweta.

Brynlee Slankard is the daughter of Rachael Denton and Todd Slankard. She has been on the team for three years and also participates in NHS. After graduation she plans to attend TCC and OU Medical. Her favorite soccer memory is when Morgan Poletek tripped over a mini soccer goal at practice and missed her shot.

Daniela Solis is the daughter of Jose and Olga Solis. She has been on the team for three years, and she also plays basketball and participates in NHS. After graduation she plans to study psychology in college. Her favorite soccer memory is any memory with her team.

Elizabeth Watts is the daughter of Tim and Rachael Watts. She has been on the team for one year. She also runs Track and Cross Country and competes on the Academic Team. In college she plans to major in Environmental Engineering. Her favorite soccer memory is getting to know and spending time with her wonderful teammates.

Kaleb Brooks is the son of Heather Lancaster and Leonard Brooks. He has been on the team for four years and also plays basketball. After graduating he plans to go to college and start his own business. His favorite soccer memory is “chipping Sapulpa’s keeper sophomore year.”

Weslee Calhoun is the son of Angela and Ronnie Calhoun. He has been on the team for four years. After graduation he plans to study Kinesiology at the University of Central Oklahoma. His favorite soccer memory is “scoring a volley from outside the 18 against Memorial.”

Kaiden Cox is the son of Amy and Ryan Cooke. He has been on the team for four years. After graduating he plans to travel the world, attend college, and have a family. His favorite soccer memory is the long bus rides.

Gustavo Franco is the son of Lazaro Franco and Elizabeth Chaires. He has been on the team for four years. After graduating he plans to travel the world and meet new people. His favorite soccer memory is when he scored his first two varsity goals.

Braden Hart is the son of Charles Hart and Kara Hart. He has been on the team for four years and also participates in NHS. After graduating he plans to study Nursing and Pre-Med at the University of Tulsa. His favorite soccer memory is blocking several goals against Union last year.

Santiago Martines is the son of Veronica Rodriguez. He has been on the team for two years and plans to attend college after graduating. His favorite soccer memory is his first varsity game.

Aaron McKnight is the son of Jeff and Cindy McKnight. He has been on the team for four years and is also a member of NHS. After graduating he plans to study Architectural Engineering at Oklahoma State University. His favorite soccer memory is “scoring a header off a cross against Shawnee last year.”

Josh Pride is the son of Eric and Angela Pride. He has been on the team for four years. After graduating he plans to attend Tulsa Tech and to become a firefighter. His favorite soccer memory is playing in the Stillwater Tournament two years ago.

Dawson Quinton is the son of Gina and Damon Quinton. He has been on the team for four years. After graduating he plans to go to college and become an athletic trainer. His favorite soccer memory is “the Stillwater Tournament sophomore year.”

Gustavo Saldana is the son of Gustavo and Estella Saldana. He has been on the team for four years. After graduating he plans to play collegiate soccer and start his own business. His favorite soccer memory is winning in FIFA before game days and scoring a bicycle kick in the Stillwater tournament.

Ethan Tippit is the son of Eric and Brandi Tippit. He has been on the team for four years, and also plays soccer with the West Side Alliance. After graduating he plans to play collegiate soccer and go into Chemical or Mechanical Engineering. His favorite soccer memory is beating Enid in PKs after trailing by two.

Sandite Season Scoring

Goals
7 Fernando Saldana
4 Luke Jeffus
4 Gustavo Saldana
3 Jack Bratcher
1 Miguez Munoz
1 Kaiden Cox
1 Angel Esparza
1 Gustavo Franco
1 Dawson Quinton

PKs
2 Gustavo Saldana
1 Fernando Saldana 
1 Kaiden Cox
1 David Fancher

Total Scoring
8 Fernando Saldana
6 Gustavo Saldana
4 Luke Jeffus
3 Jack Bratcher
2 Kaiden Cox
1 Miguel Munoz
1 Angel Esparza
1 Gustavo Franco
1 David Fancher
1 Dawson Quinton

Lady Sandite Season Scoring

Goals
6 Elizabeth Horn
3 Ari Esparza
3 Baylee Metcalfe
2 Karsen Lynch
1 Elizabeth Watts
1 Demi DeShazo
1 Jade Patton
1 Kasandra Burgess
1 Kaslynn Horton
1 Amrey Lee
1 Brynlee Slankard
1 Morgan Poletek

PKs
3 Elizabeth Horn
2 Karsen Lynch
1 Elizabeth Watts
1 Josie Gelsthorpe
1 Demi DeShazo

Total Scoring
9 Elizabeth Horn
4 Karsen Lynch
3 Ari Esparza
3 Baylee Metcalfe
2 Elizabeth Watts
2 Demi DeShazo
1 Josie Gelsthorpe
1 Jade Patton
1 Kasandra Burgess
1 Kaslynn Horton
1 Amrey Lee
1 Brynlee Slankard
1 Morgan Poletek

CPHS Soccer: Undefeated Sandites survive shootout with Enid for eighth-straight win

The Charles Page High School boys’ soccer team (7-0) came from behind once in regulation and once in an overtime shootout to defeat the Enid Plainsmen (2-2). They are riding an eight-match win streak dating back to the last game of the 2018 season.

Jhon Nieto gave his team the lead in the 16th minute of regulation and the Plainsmen held it for the majority of the game.

Finally, in the 68th minute, Luke Jeffus was fouled in the box and Gustavo Saldana netted the penalty kick to tie it up. As a non-district match, the teams skipped the overtime period and went straight to a best-of-five shootout to decide the winner.

Plainsmen goalie Angel Neri blocked a PK from Jeffus, and Ivan Delgadillo gave the visitors the lead. Alex Ramirez and Brayan Rodriguez also made PKs for the Plainsmen. Gustavo Saldana tied it at 1-1 and Fernando Saldana tied it at 2-2, but Jack Bratcher missed his kick and the Sandites trailed 3-2. A goal by Andrew Mora would have won the game for Enid.

Mora’s kick was on target, but Sandite keeper Ethan Tippit made the save and David Fancher tied it. The Plainsmen had one more shot to win it, but Tippit blocked Marcos Arambula to extend the shootout. After the first five kicks each team is only awarded one more apiece until someone takes the lead. Kaiden Cox gave the Sandites their first lead of the game, and Tippit blocked Fernando Marrufo to secure the win.

The Lady Sandite Varsity (5-2) lost their second match and first shutout of the season 2-0 to the Enid Pacers (2-2) and both Junior Varsity games ended in ties. The JV Girls are 2-1-3 after a scoreless 0-0 draw. The JV Boys tied 1-1 with the Plainsmen and are 1-0-2 on the year.

Sand Springs soccer will take a nearly two-week hiatus over Spring Break before kicking off district action Tuesday the 26th against their rivals from Sapulpa. The Lady Chieftains are 4-1 and the boys are 1-4.

CPHS Boys’ Season Scoring

Goals
6 Fernando Saldana
3 Luke Jeffus
3 Gustavo Saldana
2 Jack Bratcher
1 Miguel Munoz
1 Kaiden Cox
1 Angel Esparza
1 Gustavo Franco

Penalty Kicks Made
2 Gustavo Saldana
1 Kaiden Cox
1 David Fancher
1 Fernando Saldana

Total Scoring
7 Fernando Saldana
5 Gustavo Saldana
3 Luke Jeffus
2 Jack Bratcher
2 Kaiden Cox
1 Miguez Munoz
1 David Fancher
1 Angel Esparza
1 Gustavo Franco

CPHS Soccer: Lady Sandites place fifth at Edison Tournament, beat East Central 6-0

The Charles Page High School girls’ soccer team (5-1) suffered their first loss of the season Thursday in the first round of the Edison Green and White Tournament, but snapped back with three-straight wins since then. They won the consolation bracket for a fifth place finish at the tournament, then shut out East Central 6-0 on Tuesday.

Bixby (2-1) beat the Sandites 3-1 in the first round of the tournament, with Elizabeth Watts scoring the lone goal for Sand Springs.

Nathan Hale (0-2) was no match for the resurgent Lady Sandites in the second round of the tournament. Elizabeth Horn scored four goals and Baylee Metcalfe had a brace in the team’s first 10-0 mercy rule victory since 2016. Ari Esparza, Demi Deshazo, Jade Patton, Kasandra Burgess, and Kaslynn Horton all netted goals.

In the finals they won a 2-1 overtime shootout against Edison (1-4). Horn scored the lone goal in regulation, but Karsyn Lynch, Horn, and Deshazo made PKs for the win.

On Tuesday they won their fourth shutout of the season against East Central (1-4). Freezing rain and a steady headwind held the Sandites to a single goal in the first half. Horn netted the only point of the half. The sky cleared up in the second period and the girls brought their own rain with the wind at their backs.

Amrey Lee kicked off second half scoring with an assist from Morgan Poletek. Esparza and Lynch both scored headers off of corner kicks from Horn. Brynlee Slankard knocked one in with four minutes to play, and Poletek scored exactly one minute later. Esparza nearly scored a brace in the 78th minute and got a shot off past the goalie, but just barely caught the post and had it spit back out.

The Lady Sandites’ 5-1 start is their best since 2016. They will return to action Thursday at 6:00 p.m. when they host Enid (1-2) in their final non-district match.

CPHS Season Stats

Goals
6 Elizabeth Horn
3 Ari Esparza
3 Baylee Metcalfe
2 Karsen Lynch
1 Elizabeth Watts
1 Demi Deshazo
1 Jade Patton
1 Kasandra Burgess
1 Kaslynn Horton
1 Amrey Lee
1 Brynlee Slankard
1 Morgan Poletek

Overtime PKs
3 Elizabeth Horn
2 Karsen Lynch
1 Elizabeth Watts
1 Josie Gelsthorpe
1 Demi Deshazo

Total Scores
9 Elizabeth Horn
4 Karsen Lynch
3 Ari Esparza
3 Baylee Metcalfe
2 Elizabeth Watts
2 Demi Deshazo
1 Josie Gelsthorpe
1 Jade Patton
1 Kasandra Burgess
1 Kaslynn Horton
1 Amrey Lee
1 Brynlee Slankard
1 Morgan Poletek