PREP SOCCER
Montesan0 2, Elma 1 (Monte wins 4-3 in shootout)
It took more than 90 minutes of play and a tense penalty-kick shootout but Montesano will be headed to the state tournament after a 2-1 win over Elma in the second round of the 1A District IV Tournament at Jack Rottle Field on Thursday night.
The win gives Montesano a trip to state and will put them into the district championship match where they will play at King’s Way Christian at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Elma’s Molly Johnston, left, gets past Montesano’ Lexi Lovell in the second half of a match on Thursday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Elma’s season isn’t over yet as the Eagles have a chance to earn a spot in the state tournament with a win against Tenino on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Montesano.
The shootout featured goals from Montesano’s Anna Ayers, Zoee Lisherness Brooke Streeter and Marta Bosch.
The Bulldogs also got a big lift from goalkeeper Savannah Dilley, who made a save on Elma’s first penalty kick attempt off the foot of Molly Johnston to give Monte the 4-3 edge in the shootout.
After Rebeka Lensegrav’s shot went wide on Elma’s fourth attempt, Dilley’s teammates, who were anxiously waiting at midfield and watching from the sidelines, rushed Dilley in celebration.
Dilley said she didn’t hear the noise coming from the crowd as she prepared to face the first shot in the penalty-kick shootout.
“I’m trying to focus on the ball. I’m blocking out everything else and just calming myself.,” she said. “Making the save took a lot of pressure off of me because I knew my team could pull through.”
The Bulldogs applied pressure for most of the first half, causing the Eagles to drop players back to deal with Monte’s attack and close down on open spaces.
Monte finally broke through in the 30th minute when Lisherness got the side of her head on the ball to direct it into the net off of corner kick from Streeter.
Lisherness’ momentum was taking her away from the goal on the play and said she just wanted to find a way to redirect the ball towards the box.
“I just wanted to get some part of my body on the ball. I didn’t matter if it hit me on the shin or in the face. Whatever it took, I had to do it,” she said.
Monte’s 1-0 lead stood up until late in the second half when Elma began to apply some pressure of its own.
Brooke Sutherby settled down a bouncing ball and placed her shot low and toward the far post to beat Dilley and tie the game at a goal apiece.
The Eagles seemed to find a rhythm offensively heading into extra time and almost ended the match early in the first overtime. Kassedy Olson went on a run and chased down a ball near the top of the box while beating her defender. Olson’s shot at the far post missed the mark, however, allowing the Bulldogs to survive until penalty kicks.
Though Monte regularly works on penalty kicks in practice, Bulldogs head coach Fidel Sanchez said it’s hard to feel comfortable when the game comes down to a shootout.
“I never feel confident in penalty kicks. No coach can comfortably say that,” he said. “We just happened to have really good penalty kickers.”
With the loss Elma will be looking to keep its season alive against a Tenino team that fell 7-0 to King’s Way Christian on Thursday. The Eagles have struggled with the Beavers this season, losing to Tenino twice in league play by scores of 3-1 and 4-3.
Elma head coach Scott Rockey said he wants his team to bring the same energy they had on Thursday to the field on Saturday.
“Our play against Monte hasn’t translated against Tenino all season,” he said, “All we can do is play the best game we can and see where we end up.”
With the Monte and KWC playing to a 3-3 tie when they met earlier in the season, Sanchez sees the Knights as the biggest test in the district.
“No offense to the other teams in the district, but we believe that us and King’s Way are the best teams in the district,” he said. “We have to look at the film and see what we can pick apart and go from there.”
Monte 0 1 0 — 1
Elma 1 0 0 — 1
PREP VOLLEYBALL
Lake Quinault’s Katlynn Neeland gets her shot over the net in the second set of a match against Naselle. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
1B District IV Tournament
Lake Quinault loses to Naselle, beats Three Rivers Christian
Lake Quinault kept its season alive with a win its second match of the day against Three Rivers Christian in the 1B District IV Tournament in Tumwater on Thursday.
The Elks and Eagles played a tense three-set match that saw Lake Quinault emerge victorious 25-19, 25-17 and 25-23 in the tournament’s third-place match.
The win kept Lake Quinault in contention for a spot in the state tournament after losing to Naselle in straight sets 25-12, 25-9 and 25-9 earlier in the district semifinals.
Lake Quinault and Klickitat compete for a spot at the state tournament on Saturday at Lake Quinault High School. Time yet to be determined at the time of this writing.
Lake Quinault 12 9 9 –0
Naselle 25 25 25 – 3
Three Rivers Christian 19 17 23 – 0
Lake Quinault 25 25 25 – 3
