EVERETT — For the Jackson girls soccer team a tie was a win.
The Timberwolves battled to a 1-1 tie with Kamiak Wednesday night, which was just enough for Jackson to clinch a Wesco 4A league title.
Jackson (11-2-1 league, 11-4-1 overall), which was co-Wesco 4A South champions last year with Edmonds-Woodway, finished just ahead of Snohomish (11-3, 11-4-1) and the Knights (10-3-1, 10-5-1) in the conference standings.
“It’s really huge. Last year we were Wesco (4A South) co-champs and that was good, but it’s always nice to sit up there by yourselves,” said Timberwolves head coach Jesslyn Kellerman. “These girls have worked hard all season. It came down to tonight’s game, but the work they’ve done all season is what really made it happen.”
Freshman Jadyn Edwards gave Jackson an early — and short-lived — lead with a goal in the 14th minute. Kylie Martin crossed a ball in front of the Kamiak goal and Edwards put the ball in the back of the net to give the Timberwolves a 1-0 lead.
Jackson’s advantage lasted four minutes until Kamiak’s Sidney Schmidt, also a freshman, tied the score on an assist by Alexie Morris.
That was the end of the scoring for the night. Both teams had opportunities in the second half and the two five-minute overtime periods, but neither could tally another goal.
“It was just a battle, it was like a war,” Kellerman said. “Both teams fought really hard. I thought that it was a really well-fought game. It wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t dirty. It was just a really great soccer game. Both teams worked really hard.”
The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for Kamiak, which still has not lost a game since dropping a 2-1 contest to Mount Vernon on Sept. 24.
“It was a battle the whole way through, and we knew it was going to be,” said Kamiak head coach Beth Stewart. “I think both teams brought a great game today. It could have gone either way at any given time. It was fun. It was a good game.”
A Kamiak win, along with Snohomish’s 1-0 victory over Mount Vernon, would have forced a three-way tie for first place in the league. In that scenario, the teams are ranked by “mini-standings” among the three teams — how they fared against each other. In that case, Kamiak would have been the No. 1 seed, followed by Snohomish and Jackson.
Instead, the Timberwolves — and Snohomish — clinched a victory and a first-round bye in the 4A District 1 tournament and won’t play until Tuesday, while Kamiak has an opening-round game against Lake Stevens on Saturday.
“(The game was) very evenly-matched,” Stewart said. “I think these two teams are at the higher-end of the scale. The game could have gone either way and that would have made for an interesting first-place scenario. We’ll most likely end up seeing them in the playoffs and that I’m looking forward to. I’d love to take them on one more time.”
Kamiak 1, Jackson 1
At Everett Memorial Stadium
Goals—Jadyn Edwards (J), Sidney Schmidt (K). Assists—Kylie Martin (J), Alexie Morris (K). Goalkeepers—Kamiak: Shannon Peth. Jackson: Callie Vanaelst. Records—Kamiak 10-3-1 league, 10-5-1 overall. Jackson 11-2-1, 11-4-1.
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