It took two days for the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team to secure a berth in the IHSA Class 1A regional tournament championship match at St. Thomas More.

The Comets faced the host school, the No 1 seed, on Tuesday (Oct. 12), but regulation and two 10-minute overtimes ended with neither team getting on the scoreboard.

The referees postponed the penalty kick shootout until Wednesday (Oct. 13) due to darkness.

It was a thrilling finish for Oakwood/Salt Fork.

Four Comets netted their penalty kicks, including three underclassmen.

Senior Joe Lashuay converted his penalty shot as did freshman Macen Phillips, sophomore Brody Taflinger and freshman Saul Carillo.

St. Thomas More made just two of its penalty kicks, and the Comets survived, moving into a 4 p.m. Friday (Oct. 15) championship match against Monticello.

Oakwood/Salt Fork goalkeeper Josh Ruch was credited with his 11^th shutout, for not allowing a goal during the 100 minutes of action on the field.

His feat set a school record, breaking a tie he had with Landon Turner, who is an assistant coach for the Comets.

In total shots,St. Thomas More had more attempts, 19-11. Ruch’s 11 saves marked the sixth time he was in double figures this year.

Oakwood/Salt Fork is 18-7 – the most single-season wins since the program was established – and has an eight-match winning streak. In those matches, the  Comets’ defense has yielded just three total goals.

The program is seeking its second-ever regional crown in soccer and the first since 2016.

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Grant Powell started the postseason with a hat trick on Saturday (Oct. 9) as the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team turned back visiting Georgetown-Ridge Farm 7-1 in a Class 1A IHSA regional quarterfinal match.

In addition to his three goals, Powell had one assist.  Reef Pacot had two goals and two assists.

Also netting goals for the Comets were Joe Lashuay and Dylan Diaz.

Oakwood/Salt Fork led 4-0 at halftime.

Other assists were by Saul Carillo, Diaz, Powell and Zane Trimmell.

Goalkeeper Josh Ruch turned back six shots.

The Comets held a 26-9 edge on total shots.

On Thursday (Oct. 7), the two seniors on the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team combined for the Comets’ first goal as the team whipped Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 5-1 on Senior Night.

Carlie Thompson set up Lashuay for the opening goal.

Lashuay scored again before halftime as did teammates Powell, Macen Phillips and Pacot.

Jacob Taflinger and Carillo also had assists.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 24-5 edge in total shots.

Ruch had two saves.

Lightning forced the match to be called 15 minutes into the second half.

Oakwood/Salt Fork is 17-7 with a seven-match winning streak. The sixth-seeded Comets will return to action in the semifinals on Tuesday (Oct. 12) in the semifinals at St. Thomas More against the top-seeded host Sabers.

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Powell leads the Comets this season and in the all-time record category with 19 assists this season, and 30 assists over his career.

He broke both records on Oct. 2 when Oakwood defeated Judah Christian. Powell added a hat trick (3 goals) in the 8-1 triumph. Powell’s first hat trick of the 2021 season came in a 4-3 loss against Monticello on Aug. 30.

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Freshmen Ethan Merritt and Macen Phillips each scored two goals on Wednesday (Oct. 6) as the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team shut out Tolono Unity, 7-0, at home.

Other goal-scorers for the Comets, with one apiece, were Robby Wright, Reef Pacot and Dylan Diaz.

Grant Powell contributed three assists, adding to his season (19) and career (30) school-record totals. Pacot had two assists.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 3-0 lead at halftime, and outshot Unity, 33-2. Freshman Saul Carillo had one save for the Comets.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (15-7) returns to action on Thursday (Oct 7) in its regular-season home finale against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

The Comets have won their last five matches and have allowed one total goal in those matches.

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Three players – a sophomore, a junior and a senior – each hit a goal and added an assist on Thursday (Sept. 30)  as the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team shut out visiting Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 3-0.

Those involved with the scoring were senior Joe Lashuay, junior Reef Pacot and sophomore Brody Taflinger.

Josh Ruch collected six saves while picking up his seventh shutout of the season and the second of the week.

The Comets held a 26-8 edge in total shot attempts.

On Friday (Oct. 1), the Comets posted their second shutout in two days, blanking Schlarman Academy 4-0 in Danville.

Powell and Ethan Merritt each netted two goals, one in each half for each.

Pacot, Taflinger and Cooper Myers had assists. Ruch was credited with three saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 41-5 edge in total shots.

On Saturday (Oct. 2), Powell broke two season records and one career mark as the Comets topped visiting Judah Christian, 8-1.

Powell had a hat trick and assisted on another goal. His three goals gave him a program record 25 for the season. He shattered the season record for assists with his 16^th and raised his career assist program record to 27. Powell had two assists against Judah.

Lashuay hit two goals against Judah. Taflinger and Ty Smoot each had one goal.

Other Comets with assists were Taflinger, Pacot, Ethan Merritt and Ruch.

Ruch also secured three saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 43-5 edge on total shots.

In their first 21 matches, the Comets have allowed 21 goals.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (14-7) returns to action on Monday (Oct. 4) against Tolono Unity.

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Oakwood/Salt Fork recorded its sixth shutout of the soccer season, blanking Iroquois West 5-0 on Tuesday (Sept. 28) in Gilman.

Grant Powell hit two goals and added one assist in the win.

Joe Lashuay, Brody Taflinger and Reef Pacot all netted one goal. Pacot and Lashuay also notched one assist.

The Comets led, 3-0, at halftime.

Josh Ruch registered 12 saves, one off of his season’s best.

On Thursday (Sept. 23), the Comets dropped a 3-1 decision at Hoopeston Area. Powell hit the team’s lone goal, with an assist to Saul Carillo. Ruch had three saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (11-7) returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 30) at home against Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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The Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team ended a nine-day layoff on Monday (Sept. 20), but was unable to get past St. Thomas More. The Sabers earned a 3-1 victory.

Grant Powell’s unassisted goal accounted for the Comets’ lone goal. Josh Ruch produced a season-high 11 saves.

St. Thomas More led, 2-1, at halftime.

On Tuesday (Sept. 21), Oakwood made five first-half goals and made it hold up at home in a 5-1 conquest of Watseka.

Reef Pacot scored the first goal.  Four teammates also reached the scoring column: Powell, Macen Phillips, Dylan Diaz and Joe Lashuay.

Powell assisted on two scores. Zane Trimmell and Phillips each collected one assist.

Ruch (one save) and Diaz (five saves) shared the goalkeeping duties.

The Comets held a 47-9 edge on shots.

On Wednesday (Sept. 22), the Comets posted their fifth shutout of the season, blanking Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 4-0 in Rossville.

Powell had a hat trick along with an assist. Pacot netted one goal, plus was involved with two assists. Lashuay also had an assist.

Ruch raised his season’s high for assists to 13.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 40-20 edge on shots.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (10-6) returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 23) at Hoopeston Area.

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Dylan Diaz scored a season-high four goals on Thursday (Sept. 9) as Oakwood/Salt Fork ran its soccer winning streak to four matches with a 7-2 triumph at home over Rantoul.

Diaz notched two goals in each half.

Oakwood/Salt Fork led 3-1 at intermission.

Macen Phillips and Joe Lashuay also hit goals for the Comets.

Saul Carrillo and Brody Taflinger each ended with two assists.

Josh Ruch collected two keeper saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork went 2-2 in the two-day Cornjerker Classic, in Hoopeston, which ended on Saturday (Sept 11).

The Comets opened with an 8-0 win over Clifton Central, then fell to Bloomington Central Catholic, 2-1, before rebounding to whip Hoopeston Area, 4-2. In their tourney finale, Oakwood/SF was shut out by Monticello, 4-0, in the third-place match.

Lashuay and Cooper Myers each netted two goals against Clifton. Also getting in on the scoring action were Diaz, Phillips, Carrillo and Reef Pacot.

Diaz and Pacot had assists as did Carlie Thompson, Ty Smoot and Grant Powell.

Ruch produced three saves.

Against BCC, the lone Comet goal was courtesy of Diaz, assisted by Lashuay. Ruch had 10 saves.

Against Hoopeston, Powell had two goals and one assist. Other goals were by Pacot and Phillips. Ruch collected five saves.

Despite the shutout loss to Monticello, Oakwood/SF has outscored its opponents 52-23 thus far this season.

Ruch had seven saves against the Sages.

Through 13 matches, six Oakwood/Salt Fork players have hit at least five goals, led by Powell with 12. Four players have at least five assists, led by Powell with 10.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (8-5) returns to action on Tuesday (Sept. 14) at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

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Joe Lashuay and Reef Pacot scored goals on Thursday (Sept. 2) as the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team registered its first shutout of the season, 2-0, at home over Iroquois West.

Lashuay’s goal, assisted by Brody Taflinger, lifted the Comets into a 1-0 lead at halftime. Pacot’s goal was assisted by Grant Powell.

Goalkeeper Josh Ruch collected a season-high 10 saves.

On Saturday (Sept. 4), Pacot and Saul Carillo each scored two goals as the Comets shut out visiting Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, 6-0.

The team’s other goals were scored by Dylan Diaz and Cooper Myers.

Powell had three assists, Taflinger had two assists and Macen Phillips had one assist.

Ruch ended with two saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (4-3) held an 18-12 edge in total shots against Iroquois West, but had a 41-4 advantage in shots vs. A-L/A-H. The team returns to action on Tuesday (Sept. 7) at Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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Despite a hat trick by junior Grant Powell, Oakwood/Salt Fork dropped its second one-goal decision of the season on Monday (Aug. 30), losing 4-3 at home to Monticello.

Powell’s goals were assisted by Zane Trimmell, Reef Pacot and Joe Lashuay.

Monticello led 4-1 at intermission.

Goalkeeper Josh Ruch had four saves.

On Tuesday (Aug 31), Powell’s first-half tally was the lone score for the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team, which suffered a 3-1 setback at home against Hoopeston Area.

Lashuay assisted on the score that cut the Oakwood/Salt Fork deficit to 2-1 at halftime.

Ruch recorded seven saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (2-3) returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 2) at home against Iroquois West.

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