Elma outplays Montesano to earn a share of the 1A Evergreen League title while Aberdeen won to earn a spot in the district tournament as we review Tuesday’s Twin Harbors girls prep soccer games.
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GIRLS PREP SOCCER
Elma 2, Montesano 0
Elma entered their league finale against Montesano needing to win by two goals to earn at least a share of the 1A Evergreen League title with the visiting Bulldogs.
The Eagles went out and got it done.
Two huge second-half goals by senior midfielder Valerie Echeverria and a shutout defensive effort gave Elma a 2-0 victory to clinch a share of the league championship with the Bulldogs on Tuesday at Davis Field in Elma.
“It feels great. (Montesano) is definitely a good team and I think we both deserve it,” said Elma senior Beta Valentine, who was injured four minutes into the first meeting against Monte and made her impact felt in Tuesday’s matchup. “It’s pretty cool.”
Elma (8-5-3 overall, 7-1 1A Evergreen) had the hot hand, or foot, early as Valentine nearly put the Eagles ahead with two scoring chances in the first 10 minutes of the game.
The Eagles had chances throughout the half to put up the go-ahead goal, including a dangerous cross through the Monte penalty area by senior midfielder Mia Monroe in the 23rd minute and a Valentine breakaway on a through ball from senior midfielder Miley Seaberg that was ruled offside, one of six offside calls to go against the Eagles in the first half.
While Elma had more scoring chances than the Bulldogs (11-5, 7-1) in the opening 40 minutes, Monte nearly took the lead on its best offensive attack of the night when a shot on a 1-on-1 opportunity inside the Elma penalty area was saved by diving Eagles goal keeper Mylee Hull in the 26th minute.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam’s Angelina Brunzie (28) leaps to make a play on the ball during a 2-0 loss to Elma on Tuesday at Elma High School.
Early in the second half, the two teams traded prime scoring opportunities.
Monte senior forward Adda Potts made a nice drive into the Eagles’ defensive third to set up a point-blank shot by senior midfielder Hazel Jones, but Hull made another diving save to keep the game scoreless in the 47th minute.
A few minutes later, an Echeverria cross scooted through the front of the Monte net untouched followed in the 55th minute by a Valentine shot to the near post inside the 18-yard box that was saved by Monte junior keeper Izzie Taylor.
It wasn’t until the 57th minute of the game that the scoreless tie was broken, thanks to the right foot of Echeverria and the play-making ability of Valentine.
Valentine gained possession and made a run down the near side and into the 18, pivoted to lose her defender and skipped a pass across the box to Echeverria, who collected it, made a move and scored on a low shot just inside the far post.
“I felt way more confident going into the second half,” Valentine said. “Just starting off (the second half) with that was really good for us.”
“During halftime, the coaches were telling me and our other winger, Mia (Monroe), that we can take them down the line,” Echeverria said. “I just kept doing it and I got that goal and felt way more confident.”
Less than 10 minutes later, Echeverria timed a run on a through pass over the Monte defense by freshman midfielder Zippy Valentine and slotted a shot underneath the oncoming Taylor for a breakaway goal and a 2-0 lead.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma midfielder Valerie Echeverria holds possession against Montesano’s Lainey Robinson during the Eagles’ 2-0 win on Tuesday at Davis Field in Elma.
“It was there. It was there all night,” Elma head coach Evan Valentine said of his speedy front’s breakout plays. “Beta attracts so much attention, there has to be space somewhere and we knew where it was. … The couple that weren’t (offside) were perfect and we took advantage and got it done.”
With the first two league tiebreakers being head-to-head matchups and goal differential, Echeverria’s second of the night tied the league standings with the Bulldogs.
“I was just reacting. I was just kind of on autopilot,” Echeverria said. “It felt good. It was way more of a weight off of our shoulders.”
Elma nearly won the league and the top seed outright when Beta Valentine took a tough-angled shot from inside the 18 that was headed for the top of the net until Taylor leaped to make a clutch two-handed save in the 70th minute.
Two minutes later, an Echeverria cross to a sprinting Beta Valentine was nearly converted, with Valentine’s one-time sailing just wide.
The final whistle would blow with no more goals on the scoreboard as Elma earned the co-league championship with Montesano.
“I think we just kind of settled down after the first half and we had a good talk at halftime and I think we felt more confident. That helped a lot,” Beta Valentine said of the win.
“I told them after the game that I was proud of them, and I loved them and I knew they could do it, they just needed to know they could do it,” Coach Valentine said of the victory. “They put it together in the second half and that was the difference.”
To determine the league’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, the third tiebreaker of goal differential against league playoff teams was used, with Monte edging out Elma to claim the No. 1 seed.
Monte head coach Fidel Sanchez said his team had its chances on Tuesday, but needs to clean things up in a hurry to continue its recent run of postseason success.
“Good first half, not so good second half,” he said. “We had two good chances where we were right there in front of the goal and just didn’t put enough power on the shot. Those are things that we’ve got to fix. In the second half, (Elma) found Valerie and she did a great job tonight. … She took it upon herself to take the game over. Beta didn’t really hurt us. But when you take away one player they have another one on the wing and we knew (Echeverria) was good. We just have to do a better job of marking and with the counter-attack and that’s what we lacked tonight.”
Both teams will host a district playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 5 (time, opponent to be determined).
Montesano 0 0 – 0
Elma 0 2 – 2
Scoring
First half – none.
Second half – 1, Elma, Echeverria (B. Valentine), 57th minute. 2, Elma, Echeverria (M. Monroe), 66th minute.
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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Aberdeen senior Scotlyn Lecomte, seen here in a file photo, scored three goals for the second-straight game to lead the Bobcats to a 3-2 win over Black Hills on Tuesday in Tumwater.
Aberdeen 3, Black Hills 2
Aberdeen standout senior Scotlyn Lecomte recorded her second-consecutive hat trick to lead the Bobcats to a crucial 3-2 win over Black Hills on Tuesday in Tumwater.
The Bobcats (7-8-1, 4-6 2A Evergreen) got on the scoreboard first when Lecomte took a throw-in from sophomore midfielder Arani Torres then beat a defender to the middle before hitting a low, 25-yard shot that beat a diving Wolves goal keeper for a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute.
Black Hills (5-9-1, 3-7) scored two minutes later and the game would remain tied at 1-1 at the half.
Four minutes into the second half, Lecomte made it 2-1 when she took a throw-in from freshman Shay Dunlap and blistered a shot from 20-yards out and into the far-top corner of the net.
Later in the period, Aberdeen’s consistent pressure paid off when a junior Miley Anderson was fouled from behind inside the 18-yard box, earning the Cats a penalty kick.
Lecomte converted the opportunity for a 3-1 lead in the 60th minute.
Black Hills would add a goal with two minutes left in the game to earn but ran out of time as the Bobcats earned a spot in the district play-in game.
“Terrific team effort tonight on the defensive side and once again, Scotlyn made some very important goals for us,” Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming said. “So proud of the girls for battling every game and ending the regular season with a couple of wins and a fourth-place finish.”
Fleming praised the play of Hana Lessard and Kendalynn Garman on defense, senior midfielder Delaney Shoemaker and senior forward Abby Mainio on the attacking end.
Aberdeen will play in the 2A District 4 play-in game against Woodland on Thursday at Woodland High School (time to be determined).
The Bobcats JV team tied 2-2 on Tuesday.
Val Aguilar and Lucy Matthews scored goals for the Bobcats.
Aberdeen 1 2 – 3
Black Hills 1 1 – 2
Scoring
First half – 1, Aberdeen, Lecomte (Torres), 25th minute. 2, Black Hills, 27th minute.
Second half – 3, Aberdeen, Lecomte (Dunlap), 44th minute. 4, Aberdeen, Lecomte, 60th minute. 5, Black Hills, 78th minute.
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Other games
Rochester 5, Hoquiam 0
Toledo 2, Raymond-South Bend 0 (Monday)
