Ocosta edged Hoquiam while Aberdeen, Elma and Montesano won on a busy Thursday night of girls prep soccer on the Harbor.

GIRLS PREP SOCCER

Ocosta 1, Hoquiam 0

Ocosta made a first-half goal stick in a 1-0 non-league victory over Hoquiam on Thursday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.

Playing in its third game in four days, the Wildcats (6-3 overall) maintained enough energy to edge the Grizzlies (1-5) as the two teams played back-and-forth over much of the first half.

With both teams earning scoring chances, it was Ocosta that got on the board first.

High-scoring eighth grader Bristol Towle got the ball outside the 18-yard box, adeptly dribbled through the Hoquiam back line, and blistered a right-footed shot to the high far side of the net past the outstretched hands of Grizzlies goal keeper Jemima Perez for a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta forward Bristol Towle (24) scored the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Hoquiam on Thursday in Hoquiam.

Hoquiam had a chance to score when Ocosta keeper Amelia Saunders came off her line to defend a shot. The ball skiddered around before falling to the foot of Grizzlies freshman midfielder Vrizza Renteria-Hernandez, who smashed a hard shot that was headed toward the net, but deflected off teammate Chloe Dietrick.

Ocosta freshman midfielder Scarlett Nelson got to the ball first and cleared it safely away to end the Hoquiam scoring threat.

In the second half, Ocosta nearly doubled its lead in the 61st minute when junior midfielder Kylee Denny dribbled through midfield and sent a perfect through pass to Towle, leading to a breakaway against Perez. Towle sent a low shot headed toward the left side of the net, but Perez made a hockey-style kick save to keep the score at 1-0.

After Ocosta dominated possession over the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Grizzlies got penetration into the Wildcats zone.

Hoquiam had a chance when Dietrick flicked a corner kick back through the front of the Ocosta goal, but the ball rolled to the opposite sideline untouched by another Grizzly in the 65th minute.

Three minutes later, Grizzlies senior Paige Shope sent a hard shot toward goal, but Saunders made the save to keep the game scoreless, preserving the win.

“We talked about winning the 50-50 balls and being more aggressive going to the ball and they started doing what we asked of them,” Ocosta head coach Mike King said of his team’s improved offense over the final 40 minutes of the game. “It paid off.”

Ocosta had 18 shots in the game – 11 in the second half – with Saunders recording 13 saves to earn the Wildcats’ fifth shutout of the season.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta goal keeper Amelia Saunders, middle, defends against Hoquiam shooter Vrizza Renteria-Hernandez, right, and Chloe Dietrick (1) during the Wildcats’ 1-0 win on Thursday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.

“It’s an excellent defensive group,” King said of his team. “We’ve had five shutouts this year when we didn’t have any last year. The girls are working really hard in practice and are taking pride in their defense. … It’s outstanding to see the defense step up.”

“It was a whole team effort tonight,” Hoquiam head coach Corri Schmid said of her team’s improved play, noting the defensive play of senior defender Briana Herrera. “She almost didn’t play soccer (this season) and she decided to come out and I’m so happy she did. She knows the game and did really well.”

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam goal keeper Jemima Perez, left, and defender Briana Herrera ready for a corner kick during a 1-0 loss to Ocosta on Thursday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.

Perez saved 14 shots to keep the Grizzlies close.

“She’s an outstanding goal keeper and she made a couple of saves that no other goal keeper could have made,” King said of Perez. “Jemima did an outstanding job for them. … It’s good because it will prepare us for some good teams we have coming up.”

“I saw us working as a team. … And I think we came out here like we wanted to win. We wanted to be here and we wanted to play,” Schmid said. “That’s what I’ve been looking for from (the Grizzlies). I’ve been telling them, ‘You have to be here and you have to want to win the game, and by doing so, the passion for playing will follow suit,’ and I saw that today.”

Hoquiam hosts Aberdeen at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Ocosta plays Forks in a 2B Central-Pacific League game at 6 p.m. Monday at Forks High School.

Ocosta 1 0 – 1

Hoquiam 0 0 – 0

Scoring

First half – 1, Ocosta, Towle, 23rd minute.

Second half – None.

Elma 2, Tenino 0

Elma solved Tenino’s defensive shell in earning a 2-0 1A Evergreen League win on Thursday in Tenino.

The Eagles (8-1, 2-0 1A Evergreen) got a goal from senior midfielder Eliza Sibbett on a header off a Beta Valentine corner kick to take a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.

Elma doubled its advantage when junior midfielder Miley Seaberg sent a diagonal pass to junior forward Valerie Echeverria, who fed a cross to Valentine for a goal in the 25th minute.

The Eagles had several more chances to score but the Tenino defense held for a 2-0 final.

“It could have been 5-0, but I was happy with the win,” Elma head coach Evan Valentine said. “We moved the ball well and had good passing sequences, we just didn’t quite finish.”

The win combined with Montesano’s victory over Eatonville on Thursday sets up a marquee league matchup between the Eagles and the Bulldogs – two of the top 10 teams in the state – at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Davis Field in Elma.

Elma 2 0 – 2

Tenino 0 0 – 0

Scoring

First half – 1, Elma, Sibbett (Valentine), 13th minute. 2, Elma, Valentine (Echeverria), 25th minute.

Second half – None.

Montesano 4, Eatonville 0

Montesano handled its business with a 4-0 win over Eatonville in a 1A Evergreen League matchup on Thursday at Montesano High School.

The Bulldogs (6-1-1, 2-0 1A Evergreen) opened the scoring when senior star Mikayla Stanfield scored on a penalty kick in the ninth minute.

Stanfield then assisted on a goal by freshman forward Jaelyn Butterfield in the 15th minute followed by a goal from senior midfielder Bethanie Henderson in the 21st minute as Monte closed out the first half up 3-0.

Henderson scored in the 78th minute to secure the 4-0 victory for the Bulldogs.

Montesano had 13 shots in the game, eight being on-goal, to go along with three corner kicks and five free kicks in the contest.

Bulldogs senior goal keeper Riley Timmons recorded five saves in the game to record her second consecutive shutout.

Montesano hosts Centralia in a non-league match at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Eatonville 0 0 – 0

Montesano 3 1 – 3

Scoring

First half – 1, Montesano, Stanfield, 9th minute. 2, Montesano, Butterfield (Stanfield), 15th minute. 3, Montesano, Henderson, 21st minute.

Second half – 4, Montesano, Henderson, 78th minute.

Aberdeen 3, Shelton 1

Aberdeen picked up an important league victory with a 3-1 win over Shelton on Thursday in Shelton.

The Bobcats (3-4, 3-2 2A Evergreen) kept the Highclimbers (2-4-1, 1-3) pinned in their defensive third for much of the match in what turned out to be a physical game.

It wasn’t until after halftime that Aberdeen would break a scoreless tie, taking the lead when striker Abby Mainio headed in a free kick from senior forward Annie Troeh for a 1-0 lead.

After Shelton tied the game on a free kick in the 61st minute, Bobcats midfielder Scotlyn Lecomte came up clutch, finding the back of the net on a long shot with just nine minutes left in the game.

Aberdeen then created some of its own luck when a cross from Troeh was deflected in off a Shelton defender for an own goal and a 3-1 Cats lead in the 77th minute.

“Hard work and intensity were the difference in picking up this important win for us on the road,” Bobcats head coach Larry Fleming said. “Once our finishing improves a little we are going to be very tough to beat.”

With the win, Aberdeen sits a half-game behind W.F. West for third place in the 2A Evergreen League.

Aberdeen faces Hoquiam in a Myrtle Street Rivalry game at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.

The Bobcats JV team tied 1-1 on Thursday. Karla Guzman scored for the Bobcats.

Aberdeen 0 3 – 3

Shelton 0 1 – 1

Scoring

First half – None.

Second half – 1, Aberdeen, Mainio (A. Troeh), 49th minute. 2, Shelton, 61st minute. 3, Aberdeen, Lecomte, 71st minute. 4, Aberdeen, own goal, 77th minute.