Mercer Island ousts Meadowdale in shootout

Published 9:00 pm Friday, November 14, 2003

EDMONDS – It wasn’t a lack of opportunity that prevented Meadowdale from advancing to the next round of the Class 3A girls state soccer tournament.

After 80 minutes of regulation, two 5-minute overtimes and eight shootout rounds, Mercer island defeated Meadowdale 1-0 in the second round of the state tournament Friday at Edmonds District Stadium.

“We had our chances,” Meadowdale’s first-year coach Sean Griffin said. “We should’ve put this game away in the first half. But we didn’t. We didn’t play particularly well. I am very proud of the girls, but we let this one get away.”

Meadowdale finished the season 12-7-2. The Islanders, at 13-3-3, advance to the quarterfinals.

With the shootout tied 7-7, junior Nance Hill fired a shot to the left side of the net, beating Meadowdale goalkeeper Tricia McMillin to give Mercer Island a one-shot lead. If not for a sterling save by Islanders’ goalkeeper Caity Connolly on Keesha Baumler’s shot, the game could still be going on.

“This is the less worse way to lose,” McMillin said. “It tells us that we played our best just to get this far. We’ve been practicing goal kicks all week. It is really hard to lose this way though. I think it is harder on the kicker than it is on the goalkeeper. It all comes down to the pressure of the thing.”

The Mavericks controlled the second half with offensive pressure. But the Islanders fought off each scoring chance.

Meadowdale junior midfielder Jessica Duty had a good scoring opportunity with 13:57 remaining in regulation. Amanda Sanguinet, who had possession of the ball 20 yards from the Mercer Island goal, fired a perfect pass to Duty, who was running down the right side of the field. Duty’s shot missed wide right.

The Mavericks, for the second time in a five-minute span, got perhaps their best scoring opportunity with 8:30 remaining on a Courtney Hughes free kick from 30 yards out.

The free kick caromed to Meadowdale’s Brooke Simmons, who was two yards out, staring point blank at the Mercer Island goalkeeper. Simmons, however, mistimed her kick and missed the ball.

“The bounces just didn’t go our way,” Griffin said. “Those times in the second half really should’ve ended the game. But I have to hand it to Mercer Island. They all played so hard.”