Porous defense buries Glacier Peak

Published 10:37 pm Tuesday, November 9, 2010

SEATTLE — An uncharacteristically porous Glacier Peak defense surrendered more than two goals for the first time this season and quietly made its departure from the state tournament on Tuesday night.

Seattle Prep freshman Mary Ann Santucci scored a hat-trick, including the game-winning goal and two insurance goals all in the second half, as the Panthers upended Glacier Peak with a 4-1 win in the first round of the Class 3A state soccer tournament at Seattle Memorial Stadium.

“I’m surprised that my team didn’t show up to play today and it’s unfortunate because they’re better than they showed,” said Glacier Peak head coach Melinda Torre.

Glacier Peak, a highly-ranked team which entered Tuesday’s match with just one blemish — a 1-0 setback to Shorewood in the district tournament — failed to get on the same page as a quick Panthers squad capitalized against the normally sturdy Grizzlies.

“(The problem) was all over the field, we just didn’t have enough people playing well today,” Torre said. “You can’t blame one kid because they all played poorly.”

Santucci, a freshman who had scored four goals this season for Metro 3A champion Seattle Prep (12-1-7 overall), pounced on a rebound for the eventual game-winning goal in the 53rd minute.

The Panthers’ Carolyn Hogan took a pass from Santucci into the box and saw her hard shot spilled by Glacier Peak goalkeeper Katie Hawkins. Santucci was primed for the put-back and scored cleanly passed a diving Hawkins.

“We haven’t finished all year,” Seattle Prep head coach Andrew Hendricks said. “Once we get a couple going, the confidence builds.”

The Panthers played to seven ties this season, but have held opponents to just 12 goals through 20 matches.

“(Finishing) has been a huge focus since the start of the season and it hasn’t really come for our team until it matters, the playoffs,” Santucci said.

Santucci added to the Seattle Prep lead in the 72nd minute on a feed from junior Gio Plater. Plater slipped a short pass to Santucci who shouldered a defender off the ball and got her shot off to beat Glacier Peak (18-2-1) substitute goalkeeper Bailey Anderson to the far post for a 3-1 lead.

Anderson subbed on in the 64th minute as the starter Hawkins moved into defense and University of Portland-bound senior defender Malloy Leahy moved to forward in an effort to jumpstart the Grizzlies offense.

Several minutes later, Santucci completed the scoring as she beat Anderson to another pass from Plater and chipped over the goalkeeper for her seventh goal of the season in the 78th minute.

“I have to just take it, remember it and move forward,” Santucci said of her first career hat trick. “The game is over now and I have to bring it into the next game.”

Glacier Peak got a wake-up call in the 25th minute when a Jenay McAuley throw-in deep into the box slipped through Hawkins’ hands and Seattle Prep junior Kalynn Huebner headed the ball in for her fourth goal of the year and a 1-0 lead.

The Panthers threatened earlier on a 13th-minute corner kick that kissed the crossbar and deflected off senior Emma Stacey, but the Glacier Peak defense collectively cleared the ball out of the area.

Leahy helped knot the score at 1-1 in the 28th minute with a pin-point long ball from defense up to junior forward Louisa Pendergast. The Seattle Prep defense allowed Pendergast enough space to take a shot from outside the 18-yard box that beat the goalkeeper. The goal was Pendergast’s fifth of the season, but it was one of just a handful of credible attacks Glacier Peak mounted all match.

“It’s one of those games where they were winning more balls, they were in the right place at the right time and we weren’t,” Torre said. “They just out-worked us.”