STANWOOD — The Mountlake Terrace High School girls soccer team entered Thursday having lost five of their nine games in the regular season by one goal.
That changed on Halloween night on the soaked field at Bob Larson Memorial Stadium when the 11th-seeded Hawks bested sixth-seeded Stanwood 2-1 in a District 1 Class 3A play-in game, making the one-goal difference tilt in their favor.
Senior midfielder Claire August made the stat sheet again, scoring both of Mountlake Terrace’s goals. Senior midfielder Ally Villalobos-VanSlooten connected with August on a free kick about 30 yards out near the left sideline in the final seconds before halftime. VanSlooten curled a left-footed pass over Stanwood’s wall that August redirected into the net. August tallied her second goal around the 65th minute when she struck her signature left-footed shot past the Spartans goalkeeper.
Mountlake Terrace’s Claire August takes a shot during the 3A district game against Stanwood on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“One of our top players, Ava Hunt, is still battling a quad (injury) for the last six weeks, so when she went out, it really hurt our offense quite a bit,” said Hawks coach George Dremusis, whose team improved to 6-9-1 overall. “(Our games this season) were a matter of, ‘Can we finish?’ And tonight we had the finishing.
“Our goal was to play a deep forward and try to beat them on the wings and see if we get the goals from there,” he continued. “(August) has been scoring with her head the last few games. I think her last three goals were all header goals. … I can’t be more pleased with the way she’s been playing.”
Mountlake Terrace’s Claire August deflects the ball into the net to score during the 3A district game against Stanwood on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sophomore goalkeeper Jordyn Stokes maintained Mountlake Terrace’s clean sheet for the entire contest up until the last five minutes. Stanwood senior defender Addison Morton received a cross at the edge of the 18-yard box, and she then passed to junior defender Ruby Lloyd, who tapped it to freshman forward Kyler Burke to finish off. Stokes tallied three saves for the game.
Mountlake Terrace’s Jordyn Stokes tips a shot over the top of the net during the 3A district game against Stanwood on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“I’m very happy,” said August about her performance. “I was getting really anxious at the end there after they scored, but I knew we had it because our defense locked it down. And we needed that for that second goal to secure the dub because we’ve been in a lot of 1-0 situations and getting that 2-0 lead really secured our win.”
Though Thursday’s loss marked the Spartan’s fourth-consecutive defeat in a district play-in game dating back to 2021, they still finished the season with a 6-9-1 record and third in the Wesco 3A/2A North standings. Stanwood was also able to qualify for the postseason in Olivia Lee’s first year as coach. Five players graduate this year, so Lee will return many players next year who bring in postseason experience.
Mountlake Terrace players run toward each other to celebrate after scoring a goal during the 3A district game against Stanwood on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“I wanted them to go in with confidence and have fun and not be nervous about this game,” Lee said. “I was emphasizing that we need to play our game and pass to feet and move off the ball. … (After conceding the first goal), I felt the weight did come down a little bit. You could see it on their faces when they came off the field. But I had to remind them the whole point of soccer for each team is to score a goal, so it’s going to happen. We have to have a short-term memory and shake it off. … How you react is what matters.
“The beginning (of the season), we were all trying to feel each other out,” she continued. “As we were going, things were starting to connect. Girls were starting to understand how each other plays. … I was so pleased with all the improvements we made so far, and it’s going to be a great stepping stone for us next season.”
Mountlake Terrace’s Ally Villalobos-VanSlooten dribbles around Stanwood’s Georgia Lenz during the 3A district game on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Hawks battle third-seeded Monroe on Nov. 2 in the quarterfinals, part of the double-elimination section of the bracket.
“We’re peaking at the right time, and I think we can get it done on Saturday,” Dremusis said. “We’ll give them a heck of a test and go from there one game at a time. This is my last season coaching girls. … I had a great run with this program. We’re excited, and (with) a special effort, we could pick off a couple more teams and keep going.”
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