Cascade girls soccer wins 4A South title

EVERETT — Despite falling behind early, Cascade settled down, struck back quickly and controlled the pace in the second half to beat Jackson 3-1 and secure the Wesco 4A South girls soccer championship.

Jackson struck first with an unassisted goal from Nikki Hovland in the 25th minute.

“Jackson did a great job in the first half keeping control of the ball and knocking around,” said Cascade head coach Jamie Gay. “They got the first goal and kind of put us on our heels. It really woke us up.”

The Timberwolves didn’t lead for long. Cascade’s Emily Nelson scored six minutes later off an assist from Denae Weigelt. The 1-1 tie held until midway through the second half.

At the half, Gay said the Bruins talked about being more active and pressuring the midfield. “Jackson did really good with the time that they had,” Gay said. “They kind of did what they wanted and we played kind of passively. We wanted to dictate the pace a little more with the pressure and intensity from our midfield.”

In the second half Cascade was better at keeping the ball and getting forward to get chances for the Bruins’ leading scorers Reachel Detroit and Denae Weigelt, according to Gay. Detroit scored in the 60th minute to secure the Cascade lead and Weigelt got the insurance goal in the 74th.

The Wesco 4A South title gets the Bruins a bye in the first round of the district playoffs, meaning just one win will get them in to the state tournament. “Our focus here for the next few days will be prepping for that win to get us to state,” Gay said.

At Everett Memorial Stadium

Goals—Nikki Hovland (J), Emily Nelson (C), Rachel Detroit (C), Denae Weigelt (C). Assists—Weigelt, Detroit. Goalkeepers—Cascade: Rachel Leupold. Jackson: Callie Vanaelst. Records—Cascade 11-1-3 league, 12-1-3 overall. Jackson 7-5-3, 7-6-3.