EDMONDS — Edmonds-Woodway’s girls soccer team outshot Olympia by a significant margin in the teams’ 4A state playoff game Tuesday night.
However, Olympia had the advantage where it counts: Two of its shots found the back of the net, none of the Warriors’ did.
Edmonds-Woodway controlled the ball early in the first-round game, but Olympia capitalized on two scoring opportunities for a 2-0 victory at Edmonds Stadium.
“I don’t know how many shots we had. It felt like 20-25,” Edmonds-Woodway head coach Bill LeCompte said. “? Unfortunately, that doesn’t count. I wish it did, but it doesn’t. I think we dominated play. We just couldn’t get it in the net.”
Edmonds-Woodway got off its first shot on goal in the opening 20 seconds and had three scoring attempts in the first three minutes of the game. The Warriors had shots roll wide, bounce off the crossbar and fall into the arms of diving Olympia goalkeeper Sophie Kabel.
“Defensively, they’re strong,” LeCompte said. “Their goalkeeper came in on a couple shots. They’re hard to score against.”
Olympia (14-3-2 overall), which plays in the 4A Narrows League, struck first in the 18th minute with a goal by Maggie DeBell. After a large group of Edmonds-Woodway and Olympia players bunched up in front of the goal, DeBell found the ball in front of her and kicked it past Warriors’ goalkeeper Kiera Towell, who couldn’t make a diving stop.
Freshman Jenna Killman added another goal for the Bears in the final two minutes of the game to seal the victory.
LeCompte said that with three losses this year, Edmonds-Woodway (14-3-2 overall) hadn’t played from behind a whole lot during the season. But he still had faith that his team could stay in the game with the Bears.
“We’ve done it before in the season,” LeCompte said. “We just couldn’t get (the ball) in.”
Edmonds-Woodway controlled the ball in Olympia’s half of the field for a good portion of the game, but just couldn’t score. Both teams employed aggressive, physical play and were whistled for several fouls.
The Warriors tried desperately to tie the score in the final 20 minutes with a relentless attack on Olympia. In the 53rd minute, Ashleigh Fonsen got the ball in front of the goal and spun around, but her shot went just wide of the net.
An Edmonds-Woodway attempt ricocheted off the cross bar four minutes later and in the 75th minute, the Warriors’ Salina Saucedo sent a beautiful through-pass to Rylee Peterson who redirected it at the goal.
But a diving Kabel caught the ball, ending Edmonds-Woodway’s threat.
LeCompte praised his seniors, including Saucedo, Sofia Colvin, Hannah Rupple, Savanah VanCitters, Hannah Thuesen, Cassie Richins and Nicole Stevenson for their hard work this season, and during the past few years.
The Warriors’ coach praised the group for helping turn Edmonds-Woodway’s girls soccer program around.
“They turned our program back in the right direction,” LeCompte said. “They turned it into a family.”
He also praised the rest of his team on a strong season, which saw the Warriors win the district championship and make it to the state tournament for the second time in three years.
“I’m just so proud of the way they played. Every night they came out and gave it everything they’ve got,” LeCompte said. “To only lose (three) games all season, they played hard.
“You look at it and you’re one of the top 16 teams in the state of Washington. That’s a pretty big deal.”
At Edmonds Stadium
Goals–Maggie DeBell (O), Jenna Killman (O). Assists–none. Goalkeepers–Olympia: Sophie Kabel. Edmonds-Woodway: Kiera Towell. Records–Olympia 14-3-2 overall. Edmonds-Woodway 14-3-2.
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