EDMONDS — On a soggy evening, the Edmonds-Woodway girls soccer team had plenty of scoring chances against Central Kitsap.
As for goals, those were a little harder to come by. But with time winding down in the second half, freshman midfielder Gaby Chappell delivered the game-winner for the Warriors as they bested the visiting Cougars 2-1 in a Class 3A state quarterfinal match at Edmonds District Stadium.
“It was a tougher matchup (than expected),” said Edmonds-Woodway coach Bill LeCompte. “(Central Kitsap is) a good squad. They were able to slow us down … and then we didn’t capitalize on opportunities we had. Some days that’s the way it goes, but today was a little more frustrating in that respect.
“Ultimately, we came out on the upper side of it,” he said. “So we’ll take it and move on.”
The win sends Edmonds-Woodway, the defending 3A state champion, on to next Friday’s semifinals. The Warriors will face Seattle Prep, 4-1 winners over Bishop Blanchet on Friday, at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Sparks Stadium.
Against Central Kitsap, and in a game played entirely in a cold, drenching rain, both teams had chances in the early minutes. But it was the Warriors that struck first midway through the first half as midfielder Ashleigh Fonsen, working with the ball on the right wing, spun away from a defender and sent a low shot that skimmed across the goal mouth and ended up just inside the far post.
Alas, the Edmonds-Woodway celebration was short-lived. About two minutes later the Warriors got careless in the back end, and Central Kitsap’s Michaela Wallitner ended up with the ball in front. She sent a low shot toward the left side of the goal that eluded Edmonds-Woodway goalkeeper Hannah Hicks into the net.
“We made a mistake with the ball … (We knew) they could all hit from range, and that girl did,” LeCompte said. “She struck it really well from a distance and made it happen.”
The Warriors kept up the pressure through the second half, with most of the action occurring in their offensive end. Inside 10 minutes to play, Edmonds-Woodway had two promising chances to score, with freshman midfielder Michaela Danyo getting free on the right wing and coming in on Central Kitsap goalkeeper Jori Frisinger. But Danyo’s right-footed shot sliced to the left and struck the far post, bouncing away.
Minutes later, midfielder Alison Monroe had an attempt from in front, but that also missed.
But with about five minutes remaining, Chappell had a clear look at the goal from a right angle. Chappell, who started the season on the Edmonds-Woodway junior varsity before a late-season call-up, sent a shot that clipped a Central Kitsap defender but had enough accuracy and velocity to find the left side of the net. It was her first varsity goal and it was a dandy.
“I think that might have been a goal no matter what happened,” LeCompte said. “(Chappell) struck that thing well.”
Warriors forward and co-captain Gabby Clark said she was “definitely nervous” in the game’s late moments. “It was like, are we going to go into overtime or what,” she said. “It just seemed like one of those games where we had the right shots, but we were hitting the post or it was just outside.
Still, she added, “we were constantly down there on their goal, and it was like we just needed to find the right (shot).” And when Chappell’s shot went in, Clark said, “that was awesome. That was so awesome.”
At Edmonds Stadium
Goals—Michaela Wallitner (CK), Ashleigh Fonsen (E-W), Gaby Chappell (E-W). Goalkeepers—Central Kitsap:Jori Frisinger; Edmonds-Woodway: Hannah Hicks. Records—Central Kitsap 16-2-1, Edmonds-Woodway 18-1-2.
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