EDMONDS — For the better part of 82 minutes at Edmonds Stadium on Wednesday, Edmonds-Woodway girls soccer set the pace against Silas in the 3A State Tournament Play-in.
Controlling possession, tilting the action towards the attacking half and barely letting shots through to its own net, Edmonds-Woodway looked poised to punch in a goal and establish the lead on multiple occasions down the stretch. But the score remained 0-0 and rolled into a golden goal overtime, where all it takes is one kick to decide a game.
On Wednesday, that kick came from Silas senior Lauren Meade, who soared a shot from over 30 yards away along the left side into the top right corner less than two minutes into the extra period, securing a 1-0 win for the No. 18 seed Rams (12-6-2) against the No. 15 seed Warriors (12-5-3), advancing to the Round of 16 against No. 2 seed Mount Spokane.
For 81:47, the Warriors largely held the upper-hand. By 81:48, their season was over, on a shot fired directly in front of their bench. It was that sudden, that heartbreaking, for the girls in green. Right in front of their eyes.
“It stings,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Kim Plumis said. “I don’t know that it matters how it goes down, but yeah, that hurts to see that ball fly into the net.”
The Warriors had two corner kick opportunities inside the final two minutes of the second half, knocking on the door of a late go-ahead goal. The first overshot the pack in the box and over to junior Talia Stathoulis on the left side. Edmonds-Woodway maintained possession and worked the ball back over to senior Jane Hanson on the right. The midfielder made a move past a Silas defender to get inside the box before firing a cross into the middle, which was deflected out for another corner.
Given another opportunity, Hanson connected the corner kick into a teammate’s head right in front of the goal, but it bounced backwards before a follow-up shot was sent out for a goal kick. The Warriors were granted one last set piece — a free kick from about 40 yards away — that the Rams managed to head away. Senior Jane Miceli recovered the ball in time for a shot on net, but it got scooped up by Silas goalkeeper Natalie Medalia right before the official blew the whistle to end the second half.
“I was just very proud of our team,” senior Abby Peterson said. “We didn’t let up until that very end goal, and there was nothing more we could have done. We left our hearts on the field, so it just sucks.”
Prior to that final sequence, play shifted back-and-forth in the middle-third of the field after Edmonds-Woodway started the second half strong. Silas looped a couple long shots towards Warriors goalkeeper Morgan Smith, but nothing super threatening. Meanwhile, the Rams back line did well to cut off shooting lanes for Edmonds-Woodway after passes upfield brought them towards the 18-yard box.
The toughest shot Smith faced prior to the game-winner occurred towards the end of the first half in the 35th minute, with a Silas attacker airing a shot on goal at eye level, but the freshman batted the ball down before securing it. It marked the Rams’ first pushback after a stretch of Warriors chances in the final 15 minutes of the first half, which included a rebound opportunity in front of the left post that was barely sent wide in the 33rd minute.
“I think for the first couple minutes, it was very frantic,” Peterson said. “But then once we realized that we could handle and keep up with Silas, we started dominating. We connected passes and were in their half for the majority of the (time). So I know at halftime, Silas was scared. It just sucks that it ended this way.”
Ultimately, the Warriors couldn’t find the goal they needed in time, an issue that has plagued the team in their losses this season, according to Plumis. As Silas mobbed around Meade following her game-winner, Edmonds-Woodway slowly walked off the field, circling around in a giant huddle before breaking off to gather their things, tears still running down their faces.
“Just the legacy of the 10-11 seniors,” Plumis said about the conversation in that final huddle. “(…) The legacy that they’re leaving to the next group is one of sisterhood and (playing) for each other, and it’s something that will be carried on, I’m sure, and felt throughout the underclassmen. So it’s been a pleasure to be around these girls all season, and I’m sad that it’s over.”
While no one on the Warriors wanted their season to end, Peterson felt there was a silver lining in ending her high school career on her home turf.
“Ending it at home with all of our fans — the parents that have been with us since freshman year, we had so many students show up — I mean, it sucks (to lose), but it’s great that it ended with such amazing people,” Peterson said.
“It’s not the end of Woodway, it’s not the end for me. And I wouldn’t have changed the season for anything.”
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