FEDERAL WAY – The Jackson girls soccer team became targets of opportunity for the Decatur Gators Wednesday night.
Decatur beat Jackson 2-1 in a Class 4A state tournament opening-round shootout at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.
Jackson fell behind early in the shootout, missing its first two kicks over the top of the goal. Decatur capitalized by scoring on its first three opportunities.
Jackson senior goalkeeper Dee Wood, whose 32 career shutouts are a school record, gave the Timberwolves a brief moment of hope by blocking Decatur’s fourth kick with a diving save to her right. Unfortunately, the Gators made their fifth kick to win the shootout 4-2. Decatur will play Woodinville, a 1-0 victor over Jefferson, on Saturday.
Jackson, which placed third in the state last season, will lose only Wood to graduation.
“Everybody was playing for her (Wood),” Jackson’s coach Mike Bartley said. “That’s all they talked about. They wanted to do this for Dee.”
Junior co-captain Kristi Kingma answered Decatur’s early goal off a Brianna Ellis cross in the 59th minute to tie the score and send the game to two scoreless overtimes.
Jackson will return a team next season that had eight freshman on the varsity roster.
“First thing is to remember this feeling,” Bartley said of his young team. “They really haven’t had a big disappointing game this year. I want them to remember this feeling so they don’t let it happen again.”
Decatur’s Kelsey Lusebrink scored on a bending 19-yard free kick around the Timberwolves’ wall in the 29th minute to give the Gators an early 1-0 lead.
At Federal Way Stadium
Goals-Decatur: Lusebrink. Jackson: Kingma. Goalkeepers-Decatur: Kanesta. Jackson: Wood. Records-Jackson 13-4-1 overall. Decatur 10-5-4.
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