![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
![All smiles. The group poses for a photo with last year’s book, “This is Our House,” along with their award for third Best in Show. Meikle, who was an Editor-in-Chief for the yearbook last year as well, holds both and stands at the center of the group. “That was an amazing feeling, going and grabbing the third place award,” Meikle said. “All of it paid off. I cried so much over that book, being able to receive [the award] was one of the highlights of my high school career, it was like the coolest thing ever.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/8bookpose_philly-1200x800.jpg)
The Metro League is widely known across the State for having top notch programs in nearly every sport. It borders on unusual when a team from a different conference wins a State title. So when the Boys’ Soccer team faced two teams from the Metro League, they were lining up against great competition.
To start preseason play, West Linn went up against Sunset. The Apollos came out victorious, toppling the Lions 4-1. Their second opponent hailing from the Metro League was Southridge. In a testy game, the Lions were ultimately defeated, 2-1. Sandwiched in between these two games was a win for West Linn. The team beat Wilsonville 1-0.
“We have played great when we are calm and playing as a team,” Hugo Rhoads, senior mid-fielder, said.
A sense of calm is essential for the Lions, according to Rhoads. He says the only time the team runs into trouble is when communication breaks down and players attempt to do their own thing.
“We get really hyped for games,” Rhoads said. “We need to have a mindset that we are better than the other team.”
To open league play, the Lions ventured to Lake Oswego to face off against the Pacers of Lakeridge. Starting off their match-ups against league opponents well, the Lions defeated their opponent 3-1. Next came Canby. The Cougars were ahead until the very end, when Rhoads hit a free kick goal with three minutes to remaining to salvage the game. Ultimately, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Going forward, the Lions have clear set goals, according to Rhoads.
“We want to beat everyone, win our league, and then go from there,” he said.