By Jim Allen, NWPrepsNow.com
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The Mt. Spokane girls soccer team faced a dual challenge Tuesday night: tighten up their defense while not tightening up against the chilly weather.
The Wildcats accomplished both, outlasting Lake Washington 1-0 in a State 3A first-round playoff game at Spokane Falls Community College.
As the wind chill hit single digits, “You just try to keep your feet moving and your fingers warm,” said Mt. Spokane goalkeeper Megan Nilsson, who made seven saves to help the Wildcats (15-3) move within one game of returning to the Final Four for the second time in three years.
“We marked a lot better than we did last week,” said Nilsson, referring to a 4-3 regional win last week over Southridge of Kennewick.
They could meet again. Mt. Spokane will host either Southridge or Bonney Lake in a quarterfinal on Friday or Saturday at SFCC.
Lake Washington had the better of it in the first half of Tuesday’s game, but neither side had a strong chance to score.
In the 62nd minute, senior captain Whitney Weaver was well-marked at the top of the box as she took a crossing pass from Kaylee Speer.
“Then I looked to the far side and just put it in the corner,” Weaver said.
After that, the Wildcats held on against mounting pressure from the Kangaroos, who finished with a 15-5 record.
“We just tried to push through and think about the result and what it could mean for our team,” Weaver said.
Mt. Spokane has given up just eight goals in its last 12 matches.
Said coach Ryan Campanella: “Our girls played great tonight. Lake Washington came here ready to compete and we had to make some adjustments on the fly.”
