EVERETT — With the game, and season, on the line, the Snohomish girls soccer team calmly prepared for a shootout with Mount Vernon.
The most nervous person on the field: Snohomish head coach April VanAssche.
VanAssche watched as Snohomish goalkeeper Niki Denk blocked the first Mount Vernon kick, and Snohomish then converted three shots as the Panthers won the shootout 3-1 to claim the 4A District 1 loser-out contest. The game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation.
Snohomish moves on to play the loser of Kamiak-Jackson on Saturday in a winner-to-state game.
“I told them I don’t ever want them to do that to me again,” VanAssche said. “… It’s hard to sit on the sidelines and watch them go through it. At the same time, it’s great mental preparation for the next step. So we’ll take that as the positive.”
Ellie Otteson, Holly Rothering and Emily Minogue made penalty kicks for the Panthers, with the latter’s goal clinching the win. Denk, a junior, relieved Snohomish starting goalkeeper Taylor Knapinski, who guarded the goal for 80 minutes during regulation and two five-minute overtime periods.
“She’s awesome at PKs, as you can see,” VanAssche said of Denk. “It was something we knew that was going to happen if we got to this stage. We wanted Niki to go in and she did her job.”
In regulation, Snohomish (12-5-1) scored right before halftime when Kaytlin Willis netted a goal off a corner kick by Rothering. The Panthers held the lead until the 67th minute, when Katie Keck scored off an assist from Kathryn Pauley.
Kayla Cutshaw and Alexia Martinez split time in goal for the Bulldogs (11-8-0), who saw their season end.
At Goddard Stadium
Goals—Kaytlin Willis (S), Katie Keck (MV). Assists—Holly Rothering (S), Kathryn Pauley (MV). Shootout goals— Ellie Otteson (S), Rothering (S), Emily Minogue (S), Madeline Staheli (MV). Goalkeepers–Mount Vernon: Kayla Cutshaw, Alexia Martinez. Snohomish: Taylor Knapinski, Niki Denk. Records–Mount Vernon 11-8-0 overall. Snohomish 12-5-1.
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