The Sherwood Lady Bowmen won their fourth consecutive Pacific Conference title this week. The Lady Bowmen’s streak of conference titles is an impressive accomplishment, but they’re eyeing the upcoming state tournament.
Sherwood has reached the quarterfinals in each of the last three state tournaments, but that’s as far as they have gone in each tournament. They’re looking to advance beyond the final eight in 2022.
“The wins that we had at the end of the season gives us the confidence to keep doing what we’re doing,” senior forward Ella Weathers said. “Going into playoffs, the competition will be difficult, but we played tough teams in the preseason and that will help us. If we continue to keep communicating and work hard, I think we’ll do well at state.”
The Lady Bowmen are seeded No. 14 in the Class 6A tournament. They will face No. 17-seed St. Mary’s Academy in the first round on Saturday.
Sherwood (8-4-2, 6-0 in Pacific Conference) finished the regular season riding a six-game winning streak. They are led by Weathers, a first-team all-league selection and second-team all-state member in 2021.
“She’s incredibly strong and a fast forward for us, someone who is technically and tactically sound,” Sherwood coach Natasha Cohen said. “She’s very creative and that creates all kinds of opportunities for our offense.”
Sherwood lost 15 seniors from last year’s squad and Cohen said the forward has seamlessly stepped into a leadership role in 2022.
“She has really become a leader. She saw it was her turn to step in and help lead this program,” Cohen said. “That’s exactly what she’s done. She’s the kind of teammate everyone wants to have.”
Weathers scored a team-leading 16 goals and added seven assists in 2022. She was particularly excited about the two goals she scored during the Lady Bowmen’s 5-0 win over the Glencoe Crimson Tide in their final regular season game.
“During the off-season, I tried really hard to work on using my left foot more in shooting,” Weathers said. “In our last game, I scored both of my goals using my left foot. I think the work has paid off and showed me that if you want to get better at something, work hard and it will happen.”
The Oregonian/OregonLive conducted a question and answer session with Weathers to learn a little more about her life off the pitch.
Sports background: I started playing when I was around four. My parents put me in rec soccer and I really loved it. By the time I was eight, I was playing club.
Sports hero: I have always admired Megan Rapinoe. Not only because of her skills on the pitch, but also the voice she gives to females. I really like that about her.
Non-sports hero(s): My mom (Kristin) and dad (Mike). They’ve been super supportive throughout this whole process. Without them, I would not be where I am today. I’m grateful for all the things they have done for me.
Favorite thing to do to pass the time: I love warm weather. In the summer, I really like to go boating and do water sports – wake boarding, wake surfing, water skiing. Anything outside. I like hiking, four-wheeling, too.
Where do you want to go to college: I am committed to play soccer at Utah Tech University.
Career aspirations: I’ve been thinking about going into something related to global relations. I’m not entirely sure. I’ll be going into college undecided about my major.
Favorite sports memory: When I was in the third or fourth grade, I went to Florida for a 3-v-3 tournament with some friends. It’s one of my favorite memories because we had a lot of fun together.
Why do you play: I play because soccer it is really fun. It’s really good exercise and I’ve always enjoyed playing.
Favorite class/subject: History. I really like learning about things that happened and how they affect us today. It’s very fascinating.
