by Grant Clark
Special to the Spokesman-Review
There was a time when it was a rarity for Central Valley's girls soccer team to make the state playoffs. And even when the Bears did advance to postseason play, they found difficulty getting out of the first round.
Those days are long gone.
Megan Dimmler scored in the 79th minute, goalkeeper Chloe Sholtz chalked up another shutout and Central Valley beat Gig Harbor, 1-0, in the Class 4A state semifinals Friday at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
"We played amazing," Bears coach Andres Monrroy said. "I felt like we dominated the entire game. We just needed to score. I told them at halftime we just need to score."
Dimmler fulfilled her coach's request with late-match heroics, blasting a shot from 24 yards out which proved to be too high for Tides goalkeeper Jordan Bertram to get a hand on before finding the back of the net.
"I'm usually looking to pass," Dimmler said, "but with it being the last minute I was definitely looking for a shot. When I finally got one I took it."
Up next for the Bears (19-2) will be Jackson of Mill Creek in today’s 4 p.m. state championship match.
Central Valley defeated Issaquah, 3-2, to claim its first state championship last season and now looks to successfully defend its title – something only one team has accomplished in the 4A classification over the last two decades.
Skyline, which dropped a heart-breaking 3-2 match to Jackson in the other semifinal match, posted back-to-back state championships in 2008 and 2009 before duplicating the feat in 2011-2012. They are one of just two 4A programs to win consecutive crowns – joining Federal Way, which hoisted the state trophy in 1991 and 1992.
Another stellar defensive performance - it was Central Valley's 12th shutout this season - combined with a little offense and the Bears will be the third.
"It was nothing before this senior class arrived," Monrroy said about the Bears legacy in girls soccer prior to the 2011 season. "They've made it to state all four years. We got knocked out in the quarterfinals the first two years and made the finals the last two. Hopefully we will have the same outcome as last year."
Central Valley has won its last seven state playoffs matches, winning by a combined score of 21-4 with three shutouts.
It’s a far cry from where the program was prior to the 2011 season as the Bears went 1-5 in five state playoff appearances.
Despite Central Valley dictating the flow for the large majority of the first half, the teams headed into the intermission scoreless.
The Bears outshot the Tides, 5-1, in the opening 40 minutes of play with Central Valley's Kelsey Turnbow, who assisted on Dimmler's goal, registering the lone shot on goal for either squad.
"I thought Gig Harbor just did an outstanding job defensively," Monrroy said. "They took away a lot of things we do well."
Jackson (16-4-1) advanced to the finals with a late-scoring barrage to defeat Skyline in the semifinals.
Trailing 2-0, the Timberwolves scored three goals over a 5-minute span with the first coming in the 72nd minute to earn the school's first state finals appearance.