Soccer: Mt. Spokane seizes State 3A berth
In a game of big moments, Mt. Spokane seized the ones that mattered most Tuesday night.
Two minutes after goalkeeper Megan Nilsson made a crucial save, forward Kaylee Speer scored the match-winner in a 4-3 win over Southridge that sent the Wildcats to the State 3A playoffs.
Mt. Spokane will host a first-round match next week.
“They keep teaching me new things,” winning coach Ryan Campanella said after a see-saw match at Spokane Falls Community College.
“What I learned today is that they will not give up.”
Mt. Spokane (14-3) fell behind 3-2 with 10 minutes left to play, but tied the score four minutes later when Ashley Sanders converted a pass from Annie Shellerud.
The best was yet to come. Southridge wing Mckaley Goffard, who had given the Suns a 3-2 lead, broke loose on the right side, ran past one defender and was heading for goal as Nilsson came off her line.
“I knew I had to come out and get a touch on it,” Nilsson said. “We had some great stops and some unlucky moments, but we keep getting those big stops.”
At the other end, Speer took hope from Nilsson’s stop, got a pass from captain Maddy Boyd and fired the winner.
“I was just making a run straight to the middle … I knew that the defender was on my back and I took one look at the keeper and took the shot,” said Speer, a sophomore forward.
The Wildcats’ Cait Perry scored the opening goal in the 20th minute on a high arcing shot that slid under the bar. Southride tied the match just before halftine, but Whitney Weaver made it 2-1 by dribbling halfway down the field, cutting across the goalmouth and firing a left-footed shot to the far post.
Southridge equalized 15 minutes later.
“Every time we need a big play, we found a way to make the play – the girls played great,” Campanella said.
Mt. Spokane is the only local 3A team still alive after Shadle Park was eliminated with a 4-0 loss to Kamiakin, at Albi Stadium.
The Highlanders (5-11) gave up three first-half goals to the Braves.
4A: After a 1-1 tie, University won a shootout at Chiawana in a loser-out match, setting up a win-or-go-home match Thursday against Central Valley. The Titans (12-4) fell behind 1-0 in the 60th minute, but tied the match on a goal by Brooke Berg. In the shootout, Rylee Rassier, Julia Adair, Sydney Weiler and Gabriel Orndorff all were successful from the spot, and Ryann Rydeen came up with two big saves to send the Titans through to the next round. The Titans outshot Chiawana 22-4.
Meanwhile, district champion Mead lost 1-0 at Richland in the regional championship match, as Sophie Mendoza scored an unassisted goal in the 37th minute.
The Panthers (11-7) still have a chance to reach state. On Saturday, they’ll face the University-Central Valley winner for the region’s second and final state berth.
Richland outshot Mead 12-7.
2A: East Valley’s Micaela Verdal recorded a hat trick in the second half to lead the visiting Knights over the West Valley Eagles 3-1 to claim the District 7 2A championship. East Valley (13-3), which trailed 1-0 at halftime, will host either East Valley (Yakima) or Selah on Saturday in the first round of regionals.
West Valley (12-4) will travel to Ellensburg on Saturday for their first match of regionals.