State soccer tournament a test of nerves
Published 8:37 am Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Everett Seagulls have been here before, but experience can’t completely eliminate nervousness.
For the second consecutive season, the Everett High School girls soccer team rolls into the Class 3A state tournament following a district-championship victory. A year ago, Everett advanced to the state tourney for the first time since Bill Clinton was president.
Now the battle-tested Seagulls are back. Don’t expect them to be totally at ease, though.
“As much as I’d like to say we’ll have fewer nerves getting to us, the girls will still be quite anxious to play. They’re excited,” said Everett coach Kosta Pitharoulis, whose team plays host to Mount Rainier at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a first-round state tourney contest at Everett Memorial Stadium.
For a complete list of all the local girls soccer teams playing in state tourneys this week, see the graphic on this page.
Everett (15-4), which last season lost in the state quarterfinals, hopes to progress further this time, Pitharoulis said. Its first challenge is to beat Mount Rainier (12-5-1).
“They’re a very energetic team. They play with a lot of passion. It’ll be an interesting matchup,” said Pitharoulis.
Mount Rainier’s most dangerous offensive player is senior midfielder Sarah Martinez, who leads her squad with 15 goals and 14 assists. No other Mount Rainier player has more than seven goals.
“She’s a pretty good player, really kind of their field general,” said Pitharoulis, who scouted Mount Rainier this past weekend. “Their team is pretty strong front to back. They’re definitely a state-worthy team.”
Scouting isn’t a huge priority for Archbishop Murphy coach Dick Henderson, whose unbeaten Wildcats (19-0) can soon take another step toward defending their 2A state title. Murphy plays host to Mark Morris at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Goddard Stadium.
“All I know (about Mark Morris) is they’re from Longview and they’re a 2A school,” Henderson said before laughing.
Henderson eventually admitted he knows a little more than that. He said Mark Morris plays in a “reasonably tough” league and hasn’t allowed many goals this season.
Murphy has played stellar defense, too. The Wildcats have given up just three goals this fall, and none in their last eight games.
Starting goalkeeper Alexa Hughes, a sophomore, has been a key part of Murphy’s defensive success, Henderson said. After helping the team prevail in two low-scoring district tourney games, Hughes is likely to play an increasingly important role in the state tourney, when goals are often difficult to generate.
However, Murphy is loaded with talented offensive players. Five Wildcats have scored at least 11 goals, led by Melissa von der Hofen and Caroline Brawner (17 goals apiece).
Murphy has won 24 consecutive games dating back to last season. Can the Wildcats win four more times over the next two weeks and capture back-to-back state titles?
“All I can do,” coach Henderson said, “is try to be sure that we’re ready to play like we’re capable of playing.”
In 4A action, district runner-up Jackson opens the state tourney against a memorable opponent. The Timberwolves (15-1-1) travel south to battle Bellarmine Prep at 7 p.m. today at Mount Tahoma H.S. in Tacoma.
The last time the teams met in the postseason was 2004, when Bellarmine Prep rallied late to beat Jackson 2-1 in the semifinals. Kristi Kingma, now a senior at Jackson, scored her team’s lone goal that night.
“They’re a very, very good team. They’ve always been in the state tournament,” Jackson coach Mike Bartley said of Bellarmine, which has won the 4A state championship four times, most recently in 2000, according to Washington Interscholastic Activities Association records.
Jackson, making its fourth consecutive state tourney appearance, lost last week for the first time this season, falling 2-1 against Snohomish in the District 1 title game. But Jackson outscored Snohomish 1-0 in the second half, and that’s something the Timberwolves can build on, Bartley said.
“That had the feel of a state (tourney) game in that (district) championship game. We haven’t really felt that intensity this season, except in a few games,” said Bartley. “I think that really prepared us for what’s ahead.”
Kingma, one of just three Jackson seniors, leads the team with 22 goals.
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.
