Lake Stevens girls soccer blanks Richland
Published 9:00 am Thursday, November 14, 2024
LAKE STEVENS — Entering this season, the Lake Stevens High School girls soccer team qualified for the state tournament nine times since 2000 and only placed once, which was fourth in 2005. The Vikings’ last state game was in 2019 against Union, which they lost 1-0 in the first round.
But after placing third in the District 1/2 4A tournament last week, marking Lake Stevens’ (16-1-2 overall) 10th program state berth, the Vikings shut out ninth-seeded Richland 2-0 on Wednesday in a Class 4A first-round game to schedule their fourth quarterfinals match in team history.
Lake Stevens sophomore forward Noelani Tupua netted two goals, one with each foot and one per half, to help slot her team into the Round of 8. Junior goalkeeper Tessa Anastasi also recorded the team’s 11th shutout this season.
“I’m still waiting for our team to play to what I think is full potential,” Vikings coach Sam Ford said. “We do have a couple of playmakers. We do have a good keeper. But ultimately, we’ve got an older group of girls — bunch of seniors — who if they play controlled soccer and don’t get knocked off their game, then they’re successful.
“Richland was a team that puts a lot of pressure on you. The tendency when you play a team like that is to start playing kickball or whatever with them,” he continued. “But my encouragement to the girls was, ‘Whoever wins, (the) possession game wins the game.’ And (we) did that better.”
Lake Stevens received kickoff, and in the first minute, Tupua placed a left-footed strike into the bottom right corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes into the start of the second half, Tupua, from about 20 yards out, delivered a right-footed shot that tapped the left post on its way into the goal for the Vikings’ second and final score.
“It feels really good,” said Tupua about scoring two goals as a sophomore in a state contest. “Last year we got knocked out in districts, so just to come here again and win at home too, it feels amazing.”
Lake Stevens also had chances to tally more numbers on the scoreboard throughout the game if they could’ve converted from several set pieces and multiple shots on goal that were stopped by Richland junior goalkeeper Makenzie Christian.
Nonetheless, the Vikings will battle top-seeded Skyline Saturday in a quarterfinal, loser-out game. Skyline topped Lake Stevens 2-1 in the district semifinals last week before going on to beat No.1-seed Woodinville 2-1 for the title. The Vikings also got out to a one-goal lead against Skyline before being defeated, so Ford and his squad will seek revenge.
“We’re trying to get better every game, and we’re hoping to face Skyline again,” Ford said. “I still think we didn’t play a complete game with them. They’re a solid team, but we want a chance at the two-time defending state champ. And if you’re going to be the best, you got to beat the best. … There’s still a lot of soccer to play. My goal for them is when they play hard, play smart and play together, they’ll be successful. … These girls really enjoy each other. And teams that actually enjoy playing with one another go far.”
