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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cheney boys clinch GNL soccer title

Cheney’s C.J. Skillingstad, bottom right, is mobbed by teammates after scoring the winning goal in overtime against East Valley. He scored both of the Blackhawks’ goals. (Colin Mulvany)

In the end, it all came down to Skill.

That would be Cheney midfielder C.J. Skillingstad, who twice rescued the Blackhawks in a dramatic 2-1 overtime win Tuesday afternoon over East Valley.

With 3 minutes left in overtime the teams were heading for another penalty-kick shootout.

“I didn’t want to go through that again,” said Cheney goalkeeper Joe Scott, who saved three penalty kicks in an earlier shootout win over the Knights but was just as happy with this one, which pushed the unbeaten Blackhawks to 11-0 in the Great Northern League and clinched the regular-season title and a first-round bye in next week’s District 7 2A playoffs.

Skillingstad scored a memorable goal to win the game, taking a pass over the top and slightly behind him, dribbling past two defenders, faking a shot, stepping past a third Knight, then “just placed it” past EV goalkeeper Adam Bromley.

Seconds later, he was mobbed by teammates while Cheney coach Mark Kiver marveled.

“That’s one of those things you can’t coach,” Kiver said. “That’s the type of player C.J. is.

“He’s extremely dynamic, and when he gets the ball in that situation, only he knows that he’s going to create something for himself or for someone else.”

The Knights (7-3) fell into a second-place tie with Pullman with one game before the start of district.

The host Blackhawks were outplayed for much of the first half, with Scott twice stopping point-blank shots by the Knights.

East Valley forward Adam Talley, the leading scorer in the GNL, broke free on the right side in the 29th minute and fired past Scott into the left side of the goal, then did a backflip and was rewarded a yellow card.

“It was worth it,” Talley said as he headed to the bench.

But the Blackhawks made a few adjustments, Kiver said, and controlled possession for most of the second half with little to show for it.

With 15 minutes left, Skillingstad took his back kick and fired just left. Teammate Forester Seipp also missed several good chances.

The Blackhawks were repeatedly denied by Bromley, who with 5 minutes left in regulation saved another point-blank shot at Skillingstad’s feet.

But Bromley couldn’t control the rebound, and Skillingstad “just got up and slide tackled it into the goal. It was a garbage goal, but that’s OK.”