For fans of high school soccer on the Harbor, it has been well-known just how good the young and talented Elma Eagles have been this season.
As of Thursday evening, the rest of the state knows it as well.
The Eagles got a clutch goal late in the game from sophomore forward Beta Valentine en route to a 3-2 upset over defending district champion La Center in a 1A District 4 semifinal game Thursday at La Center High School.
“I think this win was really important for us,” said Valentine, whose goal in the 79th minute broke a 2-2 tie and set off a jubilant celebration by the Eagles and their fans. “There was a lot of pressure because I knew we were in a tight spot and we needed to score, but I was pretty confident in myself.”
The Eagles (15-3 overall) got on the board first when midfielder Valerie Echeverria made one of her patented runs down the right side.
The sophomore winger sent a cross to the far post to Elma’s opposite winger, junior midfielder Aaleigha Weld.
Weld took a touch and shot a hard, low shot past Wildcats keeper Sophia Johnson for a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute.
Leading 1-0 at halftime, Valentine sent a shot from the top of the box that was saved by Johnson, but Weld was there to collect the rebound, take a touch around the grounded Wildcats keeper and scored for a 2-0 lead in the 48th minute.
On a wet and muddy grass field where footing was an issue, La Center (15-1-1) began to pressure the Eagles defense and scored on a Shaela Bradley penalty kick in the 53rd minute.
La Center tied the game at 2-all when Madison Newbury sent a long, arcing shot over Elma keeper Emmie Spencer in the 65th minute.
“I think we were just letting a lot of the outside things get to us at that point,” Elma junior midfielder and 1A Evergreen League Defensive Player of the Year Eliza Sibbett said, citing the poor weather and field conditions. “But our team is pretty good at keeping our heads up, so that was really good for us.”
With time winding down and looking as if the game was heading to overtime, lightning struck — not due to the rainstorm — but in the form of Valentine.
Echeverria made a run down the wing and from midfield sent a through ball up the side channel. Valentine, Johnson and a Wildcats defender all chased after the ball, but the reigning league Offensive Player of the Year’s speed was too much, beating her adversaries to the ball.
Valentine made a perfect touch to get the ball around the oncoming Johnson and placed the ball into the open net for a game-winning goal that will be long-remembered in the program’s history.
“I was glad when my dad moved up to top forward so I could get more opportunities to score. When I had the opportunity, I knew I needed to take it,” Valentine said. “When the keeper came out, I realized I could just touch it around her and shoot and that’s what I did.”
The goal set off a massive celebration as the Eagles realized they were mere minutes away from reaching the state tournament, a goal that narrowly eluded them a season ago.
From Sibbett’s view on the pitch, she knew it was in before the ball crossed the line.
“I started celebrating way before I knew it was going to go in because I have so much confidence in Beta. I knew she was going to make it in,” Sibbett said. “Right as she got it around the keeper I knew it was going to go in so I just started cheering.”
“You know how in movies when it slows down when someone is going to hit a home run, it was like that moment in real life. The whole thing slowed down,” Elma head coach Evan Valentine said of his daughter’s game-winner. “Our bench went wild. It was awesome. It was a special moment.”
Elma held off La Center for the final few minutes of stoppage time. The final whistle blew, sending the Eagles to the state playoffs and a spot in the district-championship game with the dramatic 3-2 victory.
“I was just so excited,” Beta Valentine said of the emotional victory. “I just wanted to run to my team because I was so proud of all of them.”
“We definitely won that as a team,” Sibbett said. “We worked really hard for that. So to be able to get to that (state-playoff) spot with all the girls that we love is just a really great feeling.”
“It was an emotional moment for me. I kind of walked behind the bench for a second and was like ‘Wow, this team did it,’” Coach Valentine said. “They deserve every single bit of it. They played with so much heart and determination. I was so proud of them. I told them I loved them and how proud I was of them.”
The Eagles got a little payback with the win as La Center defeated Elma by the identical 3-2 scoreline in a district semifinal last season.
The loss was also the first of the season for the Wildcats.
With the victory, Elma will face East County rival Montesano — which blanked Seton Catholic 3-0 on Thursday — for the district title at 5 p.m. Saturday at Tenino High School.
Top-ranked Montesano handed Elma two of its three losses this season, but both games were close. The Bulldogs won 2-1 on Oct. 4 and needed a penalty-kick shootout to win the league championship on Oct. 20.
The win also jumped Elma up to No. 7 in the latest WIAA RPI rankings after being stuck at No. 10 since the rankings debuted last month.
“I think it’s been leading up to this because a lot of the teams were surprised by us this year,” Sibbett said. “So I think solidifying this spot (in the state tournament) makes everybody finally look at us.”
“I think this was definitely a statement win,” Coach Valentine said. “More than anything else, it was a statement win for the players themselves. The belief they have had and the hard work they have put in.”
Elma 1 2 — 3
La Center 0 2 — 2
Scoring
First half — 1, Elma, Weld (Echeverria), 27th minute.
Second half — 2, Elma, Weld, 48th minute. 3, La Center, Bradley, 53rd minute. 4, La Center, Newbury (Bradley), 65th minute. 5, Elma, Valentine (Echeverria), 79th minute.
