CORRECTION: Due to a source error, incorrect information was contained in this article regarding Elma’s previous district title. The last time the Eagles won a district title was 2013.
For a few moments in a penalty-kick shootout of the 1A District 4 Championship game, Mia Monroe was completely crestfallen.
Stepping up for what would be a title-clinching penalty kick, the Elma sophomore’s shot went right to the feet of Montesano goal keeper Riley Timmons, who simply dropped to her knees to make an easy save.
Monroe immediately buried her face in her hands in disbelief, feeling as though she may have let a district title slip through her team’s grasp.
“I was really disapointed,” Monroe said of the miss. “Then (the referee) said she went off the line too early, and I was just in complete shock.”
For the second time in the shootout, the head referee called a goal keeper for leaving the line early, giving Monroe a rare second chance. She walked back to the spot and had time to gather her thoughts as the referee explained his decision to Timmons.
“I overthought the first shot a lot and I just said, ‘Just make it,’ and I didn’t think about it and I just shot it,” said Monroe, whose second attempt slid past a diving Timmons and inside the far post to give Elma a 1-0 victory — 5-4 on penalty kicks — and the district championship on Saturday in Tenino.
Monroe ran back toward her team, still shocked from the roller-coaster of emotions she had just gone through, then victoriously raised her arms as the referee’s final whistle blew, jumping into a flock of Eagles as a joyous celebration took place near midfield.
“I just love Mia. She’s the best,” Elma junior midfielder Eliza Sibbett said. “The fact that she didn’t give up after the first time, that’s what you need. You need to be able to pick yourself back up for the team and that’s exactly what she did. I’m so proud of her.”
“I wanted to cry, honestly,” Monroe said of the post-game celebration. “I was so happy and so proud of my team for coming this far.”
The Eagles (16-3 overall) got that far by holding off a Montesano team that got the better of them in possession and had more scoring opportunities throughout regulation.
Monte (16-2) earned two dangerous free-kick attempts from inside Elma’s final third in the first half, but Elma keeper Emmie Spencer secured any loose ball in her area to keep the game scoreless.
The Bulldogs also held a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks in the game, including one by senior midfielder Vanna Prom in the first half that led to a hard shot by junior midfielder Bethanie Henderson that was headed for the top of the net. But Spencer leaped to get a hand on the ball, which then deflected off the cross bar and away from danger.
“(Spencer) played an amazing game,” Elma head coach Evan Valentine said. “Monte’s good and today, they broke through. But she was up to the task every step of the way.”
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Elma goal keeper Emmie Spencer earned a clean sheet in regulation and made a key save in a penalty-kick shootout to help lead the Eagles to a 1A District 4 Championship on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Tenino.
Monte continued to ramp up the pressure in the early stages of the second half, earning three corner kicks in less than 10 minutes of game time. But Elma’s defense continued to turn back any Bulldogs scoring chances.
In the 57th minute, Stanfield — the two-time reigning 1A Evergreen League MVP — got the ball on a counter-attack and made a strong, angled run into the Elma 18-yard box. Stanfield then struck a hard shot that sailed just high over the cross bar for an Elma goal kick.
Despite being outshot 15-6, it was Elma that had arguably the best scoring opportunity of the game and it came on the play of the league’s Offensive MVP Beta Valentine.
With less than five minutes left in regulation, the sophomore forward found herself behind the Montesano back line on the far hash. Similar as she did to get the game-winning goal late against La Center in Thursday’s 3-2 semifinal victory, Valentine made a touch that got her around the charging Timmons and facing an open net.
Valentine kicked the ball toward the open net, but Montesano senior defender Emily Schallon raced back to the line to make a spectacular block.
Montesano then cleared the ball away, keeping the score at 0-0 as defenses shined in the battle of two of the top-scoring teams in the 1A class.
“Defensively, it was extreme pressure,” Elma First Team all-league defender Diana Guzman said. “Coach Valentine really wanted to set the mindset that we had nothing to lose, so we had to give it our all. It was all or nothing and I feel that really encouraged us to step up and play harder.”
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Montesano junior forward Mikayla Stanfield (10) moves the ball toward the Eagles net while Elma’s Mia Monroe defends during the 1A District 4 Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Tenino.
After two overtime periods where neither team scored, the game went to a championship shootout.
Montesano senior midfielder Belle Estrada took the first shot. Spencer dove to her left to make a key save.
“That relieved a little bit of pressure because I knew all I had to do was make my one save,” Spencer said. “My team would have my back to finish the rest. … We practice this every day and so practice paid off for those PKs.”
Elma sophomore forward Miley Seaberg followed with a goal to put the Eagles up 1-0.
Stanfield was up next and hit a high shot that Spencer jumped up to make the save, but the referee called Spencer for leaving the line early, giving Stanfield a second shot she did not miss, tying the shootout at 1-1.
Elma’s Beta Valentine, Valerie Echeverria and Aaleigha Weld followed with goals as did Monte’s Bethanie Henderson, Jaiden King and Liz York, setting up Monroe for a legendary game-winner.
“I said last time, it’s a really harsh way to win a game,” said coach Valentine, alluding to Elma’s shootout loss to Monte on Oct. 20. “Obviously, we are evenly-matched. I told (Montesano head coach) Fidel Sanchez and his coaching staff how much I respect and appreciate them. Today, it just bounced our way.”
Sanchez said his team’s inability to convert on its chances ended up costing them the district title.
“We had the ball the majority of the time and we were the better passing team,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter if you don’t score. … Putting the ball in the net gets you the win and we didn’t do that tonight and we had chances.”
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Montesano midfielder Vanna Prom (24) makes a pass while Elma forward Beta Valentine pursues during the 1A District 4 title game on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Tenino.
It’s the second straight defeat for Montesano in the district-title game after falling to La Center last season.
Monte responded with the program’s best result at the state tournament with a fourth-place finish a year ago and Sanchez believes his team has the potential to make waves in state again this season.
“It would be nice to have this trophy, but last year we didn’t get it and we went to the final four, so we are fine,” he said. “We forget about this one and move on to the next one and, hopefully, we’ll host in the first round and we’ll go from there.”
The victory gives Elma its third district title and first since 2013.
“It was unbelievable,” Spencer said of the victory. “We just took first in districts. There is no better feeling.”
“I cannot believe it,” Guzman said. “It’s all adrenaline and happiness. I cannot describe it. It’s just crazy.”
“I was so excited,” Beta Valentine said. “It’s crazy. I can barely wrap my head around it. I’m just so happy. … I was freaking out because it’s such a big accomplishment for our team and we worked so hard to get here.”
“This is a really surreal moment, but at the same time, our team definitely earned it and we worked for it. We had nothing to lose coming into this game, so it feels really good to be rewarded,” said Sibbett, one of Elma’s captains and the heart-and-soul of this Eagles team. “We put a lot of our trust in God. We always say team prayers before (the game) and we just really wanted to make sure the whole team felt God’s love and our love for everybody, and it was just such a fun game to play.”
Both Elma and Monte will compete in the 1A District 4 State Tournament beginning Tuesday.
Montesano and Elma are ranked No. 2 and No. 6 in the latest WIAA RPI rankings, respectively, and will await the state tournament pairings from the seeding committee.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD Elma forward Miley Seaberg (9) passes the ball while Montesano’s Addi Kersker defends during the 1A District 4 Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Tenino.
