EVERETT — The Archbishop Murphy girls soccer team needed a goal.
Fighting for a share of the Cascade Conference title — and the accompanying home playoff games — the Wildcats and league-leading Cedarcrest battled in a 0-0 tie for 98 percent of the game.
With less than two minutes on the scoreboard, which stops at 2:00 so the referee on the field can keep the official time, Archbishop Murphy continued its charge. A Cedarcrest player was called for a foul in the goalkeeper’s box, which gave the Wildcats a free kick.
Archbishop Murphy senior Gabby Ducheane stepped up, took aim and fired the ball into the back of the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 victory.
The result means Murphy (10-0-4, 34 points in conference play) and Cedarcrest (11-2-1, 34 points) share the Cascade Conference championship. Teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie.
“We got the league title with that. That’s awesome,” Ducheane said. “Especially for our seniors. I think we’re all really happy getting the conference title. We didn’t get it last year, so it was awesome to get it this year.
“Best Senior Night ever.”
Both teams had scoring opportunities throughout the contest, but with about 10 minutes to go Archbishop Murphy amped up the pressure on the Red Wolves, who would have clinched the conference title outright with the scoreless tie.
“We were senior-motivated there at the end,” Archbishop Murphy head coach Mike Bartley said. “I loaded up with all my seniors going forward and I think it was an outstanding effort. I think the whole game elevated that last 10 minutes, because we knew we had to win the game — we couldn’t tie it. And (the Red Wolves) were playing a little more (defensive).”
“It was kind of nerve-wracking but luckily we got the PK,” Ducheane added. “I think we worked really well as a team and got this win together.”
Archbishop Murphy earned the conference’s No. 1 seed into the 2A playoff based on a 1-0-1 head-to-head record against Cedarcrest this season.
“We get the No. 1 seed and the league title by winning the game,” Bartley said. “If we would have tied we would have gotten third (behind Cedarcrest and King’s).”
When the referee blew his whistle and signaled for a penalty kick with time almost out, Bartley knew he was going to Ducheane for the win.
“Gabby is our PK shooter,” Bartley said. “… She stepped up like she should. She’s a senior captain and she’s good at them. Man, she buried that thing.”
Another senior, goalkeeper Crissy Talley, also shined for Archbishop Murphy on Senior Night. Talley had several key saves — especially in the second half — to preserve the tie and keep the Wildcats’ title hopes alive.
“When you’re selling out to score, it leaves her alone and she came through big for us,” Bartley said. “She’s been doing that all year though. She’s had some moments where she’s come up big and made some huge saves.”
Talley’s counterpart, Cedarcrest goalkeeper Maggie Richey, also had a strong performance. Ducheane’s kick was the only blemish for Richey, who was under pressure on several occasions and weathered a few collisions with charging Archbishop Murphy players eager to score.
“They have a phenomenal goalkeeper,” Bartley said. “They have a really, really good goalkeeper and we knew that. We knew it would take something special — I didn’t know it would be a penalty kick.”
The Red Wolves also had a couple chances to score, challenging Talley.
“They’re a really good team,” Ducheane said. “They’re scrappy and really organized. I think it was a really good matchup. We really respect them as a team. They have a strong defense and so do we. We were expecting a defensive battle.”
Archbishop Murphy, gets its postseason underway with a home game against Granite Falls on Saturday afternoon. Cedarcrest, the No. 2 seed, travels to Burlington-Edison for its district opener.
The Wildcats are guaranteed at least two home games in the district tournament.
“I told them you have to win the game so we can play a couple more home games,” Bartley said. “There was a lot of motivation. They knew that they had to score.”
At Archbishop Murphy H.S.
Goals—Gabby Ducheane (AM). Goalkeepers—Cedarcrest: Maggie Richey. Archbishop Murphy: Crissy Talley. Records—Cedarcrest 11-2-1 league, 11-4-1 overall. Archbishop Murphy 10-0-4, 11-1-4.
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