PREP SOCCER
Ocosta 4, Winlock 0
Katelynn Denny set the tone early with a header goal off of corner kick to lead Ocosta in its 4-0 home win to Winlock.
Denny scored twice for the Wildcats on a Monday night where where the coaching staff was impressed with the passing displayed in the midfield.
“That was the best we’ve passed all year,” said Ocosta head coach Mike King. “The girls were really moving the ball and getting it to the outside instead of trying to go up the middle all the time.”
The passing led to some solid scoring opportunities with the Wildcats putting 12 shots on goal in the contest.
After Denny’s opening goal off a Teal Mitby corner kick in the 11th minute, Mikayla Ness hit Kendal Wilson with a pass to give her the ball inside the box where she beat the keeper one-on-one in the 31st minute.
Denny got her second goal of the match when she received a pass from Piper Furford and ripped a shot past the keeper from outside the box to make it 3-0 in the 63rd minute.
Nevaeh Smith capped off the scoring in stoppage time of the second half when she gathered up a loose ball in the box and shot into an open net with the keeper out of position.
Ocosta goalkeeper Kristi Raffelson, who had four saves in the shutout, said the Wildcats defense made it easy for her.
“They were taking shots from outside, so I knew Winlock was going to have to keep its shots up or my defense was going to get them,” she said. “High balls are pretty easy for me since I’m kind of tall so it felt pretty comfortable for me back there.”
With the top three teams in the league qualifying for districts, Ocosta (10-4, 10-4 Central 2B) finds itself in third place after the win.
The loss moves the Cardinal’s league record to 3-12.
King said it was good to keep pace in league while getting some of his younger players some varsity experience.
“With this league you get worked up for the games that you know are going to be close and other games you can sub a little and move kids around,” he said. “This was one of those games where you can start putting some kids in in the second half.”
Ocosta’s Nevaeh Smith scores a goal in the 79th minute against Winlock in the Wildcats 4-0 win on Monday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Winlock 0 0 – 0
Ocosta’s Katelynn Denny, left, celebrates her goal with Piper Furford in the 11th minute of a match against Winlock in Westport. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
