CORVALLIS - West Albany coach Erik Ihde said soccer is a game of bounces and whether or not they go your way.

Tuesday's match for the Mid-Willamette Conference girls soccer title didn't come down to a bounce but was decided by just a few inches.

Crescent Valley's Caitlin Drost got a ball past a diving McKenna King in the 17th minute to give the Raiders a

1-0 win against visiting West Albany.

The two teams tied for first with identical 6-1 records, but CV takes the conference's first seed based on its win against West.

The Bulldogs (12-3) fell short of the title, but ending the regular season as the second seed was their best finish in the four-year history of the conference.

"We've looked at the Corvallis schools as the elite program we want to get to," Ihde said. "We're there, we're playing that level of soccer right now."

The Bulldogs open the 5A state playoffs with a second-round game at Ashland, the Southern Sky Conference champion, next Tuesday, Nov. 10.

West picked up its play in the second half after a sluggish first 40 minutes that kept King busy in goal.

The Bulldogs had opportunities, but those chances often turned into near misses.

West senior defender Erin Jamison expected there might me more scoring because of the strong offenses. The Bulldogs outscored their six other league opponents 38-1, and Crescent Valley (11-3-1) had a 33-3 advantage.

But it was the defenses that took the lead.

"Once we find a rhythm, normally we score more," Jamison said. "But the rhythm was bad luck for both teams."

West junior forward Jaclyn Silsby found herself deep in CV territory with possession several times but was stopped by a solid defensive effort.

One of the Bulldogs' best chances came in the closing minutes, but sophomore midfielder Mariah Alley was taken down inside the 18-yard box and no foul was called.

"We created some opportunities like we did in past games," Ihde said. "I've just got to credit the CV defense. They locked down on some stuff pretty well."

The Bulldogs knew they had a good team, but the 6-0 win against Corvallis on Oct. 23 made them realize they could compete with the best teams in the league.

"Now it's the Corvallis (schools) and Albany team," Jamison said. "We've really stepped up and we're a good program now and we're playing at that level."

Crescent Valley 1, West Albany 0

First half

CV: Caitlin Drost, 16:23