Motivated Cougars beat Murphy

Published 11:23 pm Thursday, September 30, 2010

EVERETT — The Lakewood Cougars checked off yet another team on their hit list. This triumph marked not just their biggest victory of the season so far, but arguably the biggest win in program history.

When The Herald’s preseason 2010 coaches’ poll came out, the Lakewood High School girls soccer team was stunned. Even though all but two players returned from the Cougars’ excellent 2009 squad, Cascade Conference coaches picked Lakewood to finish sixth out of eight teams.

Lakewood turned the perceived insult into motivation and made a poster it brings to every game.

“We put all the teams that were ahead of us on the list,” said Lakewood goalkeeper Miranda Head, “and every time we beat one we cross it off.”

On Thursday, the Cougars crossed off a biggie.

Ignited by Head, an outstanding junior keeper, Lakewood defeated the nationally ranked Archbishop Murphy Wildcats 1-0 (3-2 in penalty kicks) Thursday in an entertaining Cascade Conference showdown at Archbishop Murphy High. It was Lakewood’s first-ever win versus Murphy.

Despite a rough start, Lakewood (6-0 in conference, 18 points; 7-0-1 overall) hung with Archbishop Murphy through 80 scoreless minutes of regulation and two scoreless 5-minute overtime periods. Head was the star. She made nine saves in regulation action, one save in the second OT period and two clutch saves in the penalty-kick shootout.

“She hasn’t been tested as much this season as last season, initially,” Lakewood coach Jeremiah Wohlgemuth said, “because we’re a better-rounded team. This was a game where she had to perform.”

Head, a third-year starter and team co-captain, certainly stepped up to the challenge against previously unbeaten Murphy (6-1, 18 points; 8-1), the defending Class 2A state champion which had won 32 consecutive games, including a 23-0 record last year. The Wildcats out-shot Lakewood 11-1 in the first half and 12-9 in the second half but never scored.

“She’s a great player,” Murphy coach Eddie Fernandez said, “and she’s been strong in the net over the years. We talked about that coming in and we know that we have to not just take shots but take quality shots and we weren’t able to get those off.”

Always alert and positioned well, Head tallied five saves in the first half (including two diving stops in the first 6 minutes) and had four saves in the second half. In the shootout, she stopped shots by Murphy’s Stephanie Conard and Shelby Koch.

Regardless of the opponent, Head consistently saves one or two shots every shootout, Wohlgemuth said. Last year she helped Lakewood go 5-2 in penalty-kick situations and reach the 2A state quarterfinals.

“We go into every PK knowing in our hearts that she’s going to save at least one and probably two,” said Wohlgemuth.

Lakewood shooters Kiley Brown, Arianna Barrio and Taylor Studzinski did their part, knocking shots past Murphy keeper Morgan Duffy and into the goal mouth. After Studzinski converted her kick, giving Lakewood a 3-2 lead, Murphy’s final shooter, Meagan Duke, kicked the ball wide right.

Game over. Lakewood’s joyous celebration began.

“It’s indescribable,” Head said. “We worked really hard to get where we are and I think we deserved to win.”

Last year Lakewood pushed Murphy to the brink in a game at Lakewood’s Dick Cardinal Stadium, but Murphy prevailed in a shootout.

Ranked No. 11 in the region according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and No. 46 in the nation according to ESPN RISE, Murphy had not lost a game since Nov. 21, 2008 — a 1-0 state semifinal defeat against eventual ’08 champ Fife.

On Thursday, Murphy did not have senior Caroline Brawner, a dangerous forward/midfielder who earned all-state second-team recognition last year. Brawner, a Colgate University soccer recruit, is on an official recruiting visit at Colgate’s campus in Hamilton, New York.

“She’s obviously a big impact player — not just a strong player on our team but a strong player in the state,” coach Fernandez said. “Missing a player like that’s not going to be replaced but it gives the (other) girls a chance to step up and I thought we did.”

But in the end, Murphy failed to finish great chances and Lakewood’s Head was too tough.

Brawner is expected to play in the rematch when Murphy plays at Lakewood’s field on Oct. 21.

Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam and follow Cane on Twitter at MikeCaneHerald.