ARLINGTON — After three consecutive overtime games — including back-to-back shootouts — in the district tournament, the Snohomish girls soccer team still found some energy to celebrate Saturday night.
For the second straight game, Snohomish needed a shootout to break a 1-1 tie after overtime. The Panthers defeated Kamiak 4-2 in their latest shootout, to win the 4A District 1 second-place game and grab the district’s final state berth at Arlington High School.
“At this point in the week, I think we’re just trying to get by. We’re living on fumes a little bit,” said Snohomish head coach April VanAssche. “Three games going into overtime in six days is a lot. Anybody that was here tonight could see that my team, Kamiak, everybody was just fighting and digging as deep as they could to find what they had left in them.
“I’m so proud of them, to play that hard for 90 minutes in back-to-back games and still have the composure to put their PKs away just shows what kind of athletes and competitors they are.”
It was the second overtime game against the Knights of the week for Snohomish (13-5-1 overall), which fell 3-2 to Kamiak in a district semifinal game on Tuesday. The Panthers responded with a shootout win against Mount Vernon on Thursday and Saturday’s win to clinch a spot in the 4A state tournament.
“It feels amazing,” said Snohomish senior defender Makenna Wheeler. “We’ve worked so hard for everything. We’re all in this together and we just wanted it so bad.”
Senior captain Kaytlin Willis, Holly Rothering, Emily Minogue and Liz Daly scored in the shootout for Snohomish which, like in its game against Mount Vernon, brought in goalkeeper Niki Denk off the bench for the shootout.
Amanda Gonzalez and Natalie Smith found the back of the net for Kamiak.
For Willis, the score was especially satisfying after the senior missed her shot against Mount Vernon on Thursday. She didn’t alter her kick on Saturday. Just the result.
“Personally, I don’t look at the keeper,” Willis said. “I just try to focus on myself and where I’m going to hit my shot.”
Rothering dribbled around the front of the goal and netted the first score of the game in the 52nd minute to put Snohomish out in front. Rothering almost added another goal four minutes later but Kamiak goalkeeper Shannon Peth made a diving grab to keep the Panthers’ lead to just one goal.
“It’s all mental. It’s how you perceive things. I think our team has great mental strength and that’s how we’re getting through these games,” Rothering said. “It felt great (to get the goal). I was so psyched. I can’t even explain it. It’s just a great feeling.”
In the 61st minute Kamiak’s Alexie Morris tied the game on a free kick from about 25 yards out that flew just above the reach of Snohomish goalkeeper Taylor Knapinski.
“You can’t even prepare for that,” VanAssche said. “… That free kick, man, what a beautiful free kick she took. She took her opportunity and there was nothing we could do about it.”
Snohomish appeared to have a game-winning goal three minutes into overtime when a shot sailed in and Rothering slightly redirected it with her head. However, the junior was ruled offsides, canceling the Snohomish celebration.
Or rather, postponing it.
“It’s a different emotion than nervewracking,” VanAssche said of how she felt in overtime. “Nervewracking was the first 80 minutes. When we got to the overtime I felt like we were going to get it, so it was more anxiousness when we should have had a couple (shots) in. But it wasn’t for lack of effort. It’s that little bit of luck you need in soccer for that lucky bounce and we just didn’t get it. But we got it in PKs so we’ll take that.”
Kamiak (12-7-1) was 2-1 against the Panthers going into Saturday’s game. The Knights defeated Snohomish 2-0 on Oct. 9 and lost to the Panthers 3-2 in their first Wesco 4A league game on Sept. 16, before the overtime victory in a district semifinal game at Snohomish High School on Tuesday.
“It just happened, so we definitely had that in the back of our minds,” Wheeler said. “I think that’s what drove us to fight a little bit harder.”
The Knights boast a young squad with just three seniors. Kamiak has five freshman and six sophomores on its roster, leading head coach Beth Stewart to believe the future is bright for the Knights.
“That’s what I told the girls. I said, ‘You guys won’t forget this. You won’t forget the loss to Jackson and you won’t forget this one,’” Stewart said. “To have these kinds of games as freshmen — the core of the team is freshmen and sophomores — is awesome for the future. I’m really excited about that. I think they’re going to be a force in the next couple of years.”
At John C. Larson Stadium
Goals–Holly Rothering (S), Alexie Morris (K). Goalkeepers–Kamiak: Shannon Peth. Snohomish: Taylor Knapinski, Niki Denk. Records–Kamiak 12-7-1 overall. Snohomish 13-5-1.
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