Aberdeen dropped a league game to W.F. West while Montesano and Elma picked up wins as we review Thursday’s high school girls soccer games on the Harbor.

~~~

GIRLS PREP SOCCER

W.F. West 2, Aberdeen 0

A few key mistakes and not enough offense led to Aberdeen’s 2-0 loss to W.F. West in a 2A Evergreen League matchup on Thursday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

The Bobcats (3-5-2 overall, 0-3 2A Evergreen) were under pressure early but kept the game at a scoreless tie thanks to a key save by Aberdeen keeper Anni Devine on a 1-on-1 breakaway.

Later in the half, Aberdeen’s defense allowed too much space in their own third, leading to a Wyatt Rogerson goal off a Ashlen Gruginski cross in the 19th minute.

Aberdeen had an excellent opportunity to tie the game with just over 16 minutes left in the half when a run into Bearcats territory by freshman Shay Dunlap led to a free kick from 20-yards out.

Senior forward Abby Mainio put a good boot on the ball, but the shot went right into the waiting arms of Bearcats keeper Charlee Nelson to keep the Cats in a one-goal deficit.

Aberdeen held off the Bearcats (6-2, 2-1) through the remainder of the half despite W.F. West spending much of its time on the Bobcats’ side of the field.

In the second half, the young Bobcats – which had four freshman starters on the field – played with more aggression on the ball and a heightened sense of energy. But the Bobcats’ inability to connect on a finishing pass led to the rare Aberdeen charge in the offensive zone ending without a shot on goal.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen senior midfielder Delaney Shoemaker (16) sends the ball forward while being defended by W.F. West’s Madi Otten during the Bobcats’ 2-0 loss on Thursday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

W.F. West would make the Bobcats pay when a shot that rolled toward the Aberdeen net was bobbled. Bearcats winger Lauren Kelley trailed the play and put the loose ball in the back of the net for a 2-0 lead with 8:40 left to play.

Aberdeen managed just two shots in the game, with one on-goal while W.F. West had 14 shots on-goal in the match.

“I think we’ve improved our last couple of games. We’re passing the ball and defensively, we’re mostly pretty solid. We’re starting to get it,” Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming said. “We’re having trouble finishing where we take a bad touch and if we had a good touch, we’d get a shot off or get a pass off to somebody wide open. … We’d work the ball up and cross it really well, we just could not get on the end of it or turn and lay it off for somebody to get a good shot off.”

Fleming said his young team that features just three seniors gained valuable experience facing the Bearcats.

“I’m happy with our effort and I think we are improving,” he said. “That makes me feel good.”

Aberdeen will be in search of its first league win when it takes on Shelton at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Shelton High School.

W.F. West 1 1 – 2

Aberdeen 0 0 – 0

Scoring

First half – 1, W.F. West, Rogerson (Gruginski), 19th minute.

Second half – 2, W.F. West, Kelley, 71st minute.

~~~

Montesano 3, Rochester 0

Playing one day after suffering a shutout loss on the road, Montesano limped into Rochester for a league matchup against the Warriors on Thursday.

The Bulldogs responded to the challenge.

Locked in a scoreless tie at halftime, Monte netted three goals in the second half to earn a 3-0 victory in the 1A Evergreen League contest.

“They were pumped to be there,” Monte head coach Fidel Sanchez said of his team’s performance. “They played very intense, very physical soccer.”

Monte (6-4, 3-0 1A Evergreen) earned the bulk of the offensive chances in the first half against the Warriors (1-8-1, 0-2), whose offense was focused on mostly a kick-and-chase style of play.

The Bulldogs came through in the second half led by two goals from sophomore forward Jaelyn Butterfield and a goal from senior forward Adda Potts to earn the victory.

“In the second half, we broke it open,” Sanchez said. “I’m happy with the performance of the girls. They adjusted well, played tough and responded to the physicality.”

Monte continues to deal with injuries as facing one of the tougher schedules in the 1A class as well as playing three games in a week have taken their toll.

The Bulldogs were without starters Lex Stanfield and Maycee Sanchez due to injuries while others, namely top defender Dekotah Parks, is not quite 100% after returning from an injury suffered nearly a month ago.

“We’ve just got to get healthy,” Coach Sanchez said. “We’re banged up. We’re not to 100% capacity.”

The Bulldogs will get a chance to rest as their next scheduled game isn’t until Thursday, but it’s a big one as Monte will host Elma in a matchup of the league’s top two teams at 7 p.m.

Montesano 0 3 – 3

Rochester 0 0 – 0

~~~

Elma 10, Tyee 0

It was a veritable Valentine’s Day massacre in Elma’s 10-0 demolishing of Tyee in a non-league match on Thursday at Valley Ridge Park in SeaTac.

Sisters Beta and Zippy Valentine combined to score seven goals in the rout, with the senior Beta leading the way with five goals, three in the first half for the Eagles (3-4-1).

But it wasn’t just the Valentines that got in on the action as eight different Eagles had either a goal or assist in the victory.

Senior forward Valerie Echeverria scored on a cross from senior midfielder Mia Monroe in the 8th minute followed five minutes later by an Echeverria pass to Beta Valentine for a goal and a 2-0 lead.

Beta scored again on a short pass from senior midfielder Nency Guzman in the 25th minute.

Four minutes later, Monroe netted a ball that was pinballed around the Tyee penalty area for a 4-0 lead.

The Valentines connected on a goal when Zippy blocked a clearance that fell to Beta, who recorded the hat trick in the 38th minute.

Beta scored again just three minutes after halftime on a short through-ball from senior midfielder Miley Seaberg.

Beta completed her five-goal outing by stealing the ball and converting a long shot from outside the 18-yard box in the 58th minute.

Zippy, a freshman, then scored her first prep career goal when she scored off a deflected shot for an 8-0 lead.

Sophomore Kenna Monroe then drove to the post and sent a backwards pass to Zippy, who scored her second of the game in the 71st minute.

Kenna would score the second goal of the game for the Monroe sisters with a back-post goal off an assist from sophomore Aubree Simmons.

“I appreciate how our team stuck to the game plan and played good soccer regardless of the scoreline,” Elma head coach Evan Valentine said. “It was nice to get some younger players in there and get them minutes and let them integrate with the team. Our third straight win and our third straight shutout.”

Elma faces Overlake in a non-league game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Overlake High School.

Elma 5 5 – 10

Tyee 0 0 – 0

Scoring

First half – 1, Elma, Echeverria (M. Monroe), 8th minute. 2, Elma, B. Valentine (Echeverria), 13th minute. 3, B. Valentine (Guzman), 25th minute. 4, Elma, M Monroe, 29th minute. 5, Elma, B. Valentine (Z. Valentine), 38th minute.

Second half – 6, Elma, B. Valentine (Seaberg), 43rd minute. 7, Elma, B. Valentine, 58th minute. 8, Elma, Z. Valentine, 67th minute. 9, Elma, Z. Valentine (K. Monroe), 71st minute. 10, Elma, K. Monroe (Simmons), 75th minute.

~~~

Ocosta 1, Auburn Adventist 0

One day after suffering its first loss of the season, Ocosta was back in the win column with a 1-0 victory over Auburn Adventist on Thursday in Westport.

The Wildcats (6-1-1) played to a scoreless first half against the Falcons (3-3-1) before breaking through with the game’s only goal.

In the 60th minute, freshman phenom Bristol Towle dribbled through the Falcons defense and hit a shot inside the far post for what turned out to be the game’s only goal.

Ocosta’s defense did the rest by keeping pressure on Auburn Adventist ball-handlers while freshman goal keeper Hollys Baldwin steered away any shots on net to earn a clean sheet in just her second game in goal.

“Both teams went back and forth on the offensive ends. It was pretty even all night,” Ocosta head coach Rissy Ness said. “We definitely started off a little slower tonight, but I challenged the girls to match the physicality of the other team and to be more intentional with their passing. The thing I absolutely love about these girls and this team is that they not only listen to the words I say, but they apply what I am asking of them. To me, that speaks volumes about them as players and their character as young athletes who are trying to accomplish something big.”

Ocosta resumes 2B Central League play when it takes on Toutle Lake at 6 p.m. on Monday in Westport.

Auburn Adventist 0 0 – 0

Ocosta 0 1 – 1

Scoring

First half – none.

Second half – 1, Ocosta, Towle, 60th minute.

~~~

Tenino 2, Hoquiam 1

Hoquiam rallied to tie the game but eventually fell 2-1 to Tenino in a 1A Evergreen League match on Thursday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.

The Grizzlies (2-7, 0-2 1A Evergreen) trailed 1-0 at halftime but quickly tied the game in the second half.

In the 47th minute, Hoquiam eighth-grade forward Taylor Pettit worked the ball deep into Beavers territory.

The ball bounced off a Tenino player, where fellow Grizzlies eighth-grader Iza Frye recovered the loose ball and shot it into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.

“First half, it took us a while to warm up. It was almost like we would react as if we were watching and then play versus just playing our own game,” Hoquiam head coach Corri Schmid said. “Thirty minutes into the first half, we finally started playing the game and making it our own. That’s when things got interesting.”

Despite the brilliance in goal of Grizzlies’ keeper Emily Brodhead, who had 18 saves in the game, Tenino scored the go-ahead goal in the 52nd minute to hand Hoquiam the loss.

“It was a good game. I’m proud of the girls,” said Schmid, who commended the play of midfielder Sophia Estrada. “She was just a go-getter and really controlled the middle when we had possession.”

Hoquiam hosts Elma at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Olympic Stadium.

Tenino 1 1 – 2

Hoquiam 0 1 – 1