SAMMAMISH — The Snohomish girls lacrosse team, not content with crashing the state semifinal party as the tournament’s No. 13 seed, made defending state champion Issaquah sweat on Wednesday night but ultimately fell 15-7 at Eastlake High School.
Hannah Graves scored three goals and Natalie Church added two for Snohomish, which never led in the game but trailed 8-5 with just under 16 minutes remaining.
Issaquah — 15-0 on the season and a winner of its last 27 games dating back to March 2014 — dashed any hopes of a Snohomish upset by scoring the game’s next four goals to take a 12-5 advantage that would never be threatened.
But Snohomish, which joined the tournament’s top three seeds (Issaquah, Bainbridge Island and Eastside Catholic) in the state semifinals, did not hang its head after the loss.
“The team really came together, and I have the most supportive teammates in the world,” said senior tri-captain Jackie Shaff, who scored a goal in the defeat. “Nobody expected us to make it this far.”
After graduating 12 seniors from the squad that advanced to last year’s state semifinal, Snohomish was certainly a dark horse candidate to return to the final four in 2015.
But propelled by the momentum gained by defeating state heavyweights Lake Sammamish, Mercer Island and Bellarmine Prep to reach Wednesday’s game, Snohomish did not cower against the defending champs.
“We started out a little shaky, but this team believes in each other,” senior tri-captain Avery Ohsman said. “We were confident and we believed we could win.”
Snohomish’s performance on Wednesday was vastly different from the team’s 14-2 loss to Issaquah on March 27.
“The last time we played them I saw some doubt and some pressure on their faces,” first-year Snohomish coach Christine Ryan said. “I didn’t see that tonight. They weren’t scared.”
The Snohomish defense, anchored by senior tri-captain Emma Ferguson, held the powerful Issaquah offense scoreless for a nine-minute stretch of the first half. Goaltender Dariya Tagg made five saves in the game for Snohomish.
“Their defense was really amped up tonight. They were great,” Issaquah coach Penny Moss said. “They were really effective and made us settle. We’re better when we’re driving.”
“This program has been known for its defense,” Ryan said. “They’ve worked really hard on it and Emma is just such a great leader of that defense.”
Returning to the state semifinals was particularly poignant for Ferguson, who was diagnosed with diabetes in the fall and was uncertain to even suit up this spring.
“It was an especially tough season for me, with a new coach and a new disease,” Ferguson said. “But I could not have asked for a better coach. I can’t even put into words what she means to me.”
Snohomish, which features a roster comprised of players who attend Snohomish, Glacier Peak (including tri-captains Shaff, Ohsman and Ferguson), Lake Stevens, Archbishop Murphy and Monroe high schools, carried a mantra of “shock the world” into Wednesday night’s rain-soaked semifinal.
That tree didn’t quite bear fruit, but a young team that overachieved in 2015 could very well have some surprises in it next spring.
“To get as far as any Snohomish team has ever gotten being as young as we are is awesome,” Ryan said. “These girls come from five different schools, but they love each other like sisters. They don’t want to leave the field tonight, because that means it’s over.”
At Eastlake H.S.
Snohomish 3 4 — 7
Issaquah 7 8 — 15
Snohomish stats—Hannah Graves (3 goals), Natalie Church (2 goals), Jackie Shaff (1 goal), Avery Ohsman (1 goal), Helen Bouchard (1 assist), Dariya Tagg (5 saves). Issaquah stats—Suzy Emerson (5 goals), Nicole Victory (4 goals), Haley Johnson (2 goals). Records—Snohomish 9-6, Issaquah 15-0.
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