Although the Unified Sports program was only introduced to LOHS in 2022, the Unified Soccer team emerged victorious at their first Oregon Regional Tournament at Wilsonville High School on Oct. 21, earning the title of both first place and the Sportsmanship Award.

This season, the unified soccer team competed in two away games and two home games in addition to regionals, where they played against three teams. The Lakers won all three of their games scoring 5-2 and 9-3 in the first two rounds, walking away with a first place win after the third game with two overtimes and penalty kicks. The state competition is scheduled to take place at Providence Park on Nov. 18. The team of 21 students has been coached by Dalton Albois, Kayla Hunter, Sarah Cochran, Anna Anderson, Hannah Zietlow and John Warner.

Earning the Sportsmanship Award was especially honorable to the team because it demonstrated the value of community and teamwork. The Lakers were voted by their peers to earn the distinction of embodying the Special Olympics motto “let me win, but if I do not win, let me be brave in the attempt.” Junior Amaya Edgar, who serves as the Unified Sports Club president, said, “It showed us that our team is not only good at soccer, but we’re also respectful to other students, athletes, referees and all people who participate.”

A particular highlight of the regional tournament was beating the Westview Unified team. Having lost to them in the past, the Lakers were especially proud to win against them at their most recent regionals. “We had two additional periods of overtime shootout, it was amazing,” Edgar exclaimed. “It was one of the best days of my life, it was really fun!”

Coach Albois, who was a founding member of the team, pointed to the students as a major inspiration for why he became involved with the program. “I am a pathways SEA, and I’ve been working with special needs students for 10 years,” said Albois. “I try to include them in every aspect of life, and it’s been a great journey.” 

An undeniable asset of the Unified Sports team’s success is the phenomenal Pathways program at LOHS. “The community here at LO is very tight knit because all of the coaches are experts on the athletes since we work with them every day,” said Albois. “I know a lot of our athletes are grateful that Unified Sports is an option, since a lot of them are athletes who just don’t like the athletic environment and are more comfortable here.”

Edgar elaborated in agreement; “The culture of the team is a lot less competitive and toxic compared to non-unified sports. We are gracious towards other teams and a lot more accepting than teams who aren’t unified. It’s just a great chance to connect with more people in the school.”

The Unified sports program has inspired Edgar to continue being engaged with similar endeavors in the future; “I would like to be a special education EA when I’m older and once I’ve graduated, which I’ve been exploring through peer mentor periods. I was recruited by a couple of EAs who noticed me while I was being a peer mentor to participate with Unified Sports.”

Aside from soccer, the Unified Sports program will also offer basketball this winter, track and field in the spring, along with a new Unified theater production. “From last year to this year, I’m excited because we have the groundwork laid for basketball, so we can invite other schools and use the gym more often. We actually have practice time and get treated like a real sport,” said Albois. “For soccer, we traveled, and it was fantastic. I would really like to see other schools joining us so that it’s more authentic.”

Edgar expressed excitement about track in particular; “In our track season last year, we were the first high school Special Olympics track meet in Oregon. We went to Eugene and participated in a Special Olympics relay with other schools. Just being able to make history was super cool, and I would love more student recognition and advertising because it’s making our school more accepting.”

At the end of the day, the team has one collective message for all: Join Unified Sports! “We want to keep the program going, and it depends on us getting peers,” Albois said encouragingly. “We’ll always have the athletes, which are students with developmental disabilities, but what really makes the program work are peers.”

Edgar continued, “A lot of people worry about commitment but it’s only two days a week. [Unified Sports] is a really good community, it lowers my anxiety and makes me happier.”

Sophomore athlete Maddie Hausmann said that being part of the team “makes you feel like you’re part of their family. They make you feel like you belong there with them.”Looking ahead to the future, Unified Sports hopes to gain more recognition and publicity from the school community. “I know we get recognized at fall sports assemblies, but I would like more publicity and advertising for our games,” said Edgar. “I would like more participation from our student body that isn’t as involved as I am.”

That being said, the state competition for Unified Soccer takes place on Saturday, Nov. 18. Feeling both nervous and excited for the upcoming state championships, Hausmann said, “We have to try our best and take home the gold medal.” Be sure to show up and support your Lakers to hopefully bring home the state title!