EDMONDS – Everett’s Jennifer Peebler hardly looked dressed to play the part of an icebreaker.
But, Peebler – one of the few players on the field who eschewed long-sleeved under-armor – proved to be just that with a goal in the 53rd minute to breakup a scoreless battle and lift the Seagulls to a 1-0 victory over the Arlington Eagles in a 3A District 1 girls soccer semifinal playoff game at Edmonds Stadium Tuesday night.
In frigid conditions better suited for champing draft horses, or perhaps steaming NFL behemoths, Peebler a junior midfielder converted on a pass from Keelan Rife to ensure Everett (10-5-3 overall) would advance to a winner-to-state game against Shorecrest (11-5-1) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Edmonds Stadium.
Arlington, which opened the district playoffs with a 2-0 victory over Squalicum last Saturday, remains alive for a state berth. The Eagles (3-10-5) play Mount Vernon in a loser-out contest at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Edmonds Stadium.
After the Seagulls had countless near misses in the first 53 minutes, Peebler took an inside-out pass from Rife and fired a low shot from the right side that cut inside of the far post ahead of the diving effort of Arlington goalie Andrea Parlin.
“She’s just been doing a great job and she came through with a first touch and a shot. It was good to see her get a goal,” Everett coach Kosta Pitharoulis said of Peebler. “We’d been talking about playing the ball at an angle to our outside mids’ and (Rife) did just that.”
“I had beautiful ball from Keelan,” Peebler said. ” (This win) feels good. It was just cold and really slippery.”
Everett threatened to score twice in the 72nd minute, but Parlin made two diving saves – she had seven saves in the contest – to keep the Eagles alive.
“She kept them in the game,” Pitharoulis said of Parlin. “We had opportunities to put them away early.”
“She’s played like that all year,” Arlington coach Nathan Davis said of his goalkeeper. “My center-back Sam Welch did a real nice job too. I thought we defended them well.”
Indeed.
After a scoreless first half, the intensity picked up almost immediately as the final 40 minutes of regulation got underway.
Everett’s Sele Vance made a nice run in the opening minutes of the second half, dribbling past a defender on the left side and firing off a shot right on target from 18-yards out. But Parlin’s nice two-handed catch near the far-post denied Vance’s scoring bid.
Minutes later Arlington’s Roxanne Pederson countered with another near miss and the scoreless battle raged on.
Arlington threatened to score only once in the first half – Roxanne Pederson’s rocket of a shot from 20 yards out, which was stopped by Everett keeper Makenna Brinster – but, Everett had a half-dozen excellent scoring opportunities.
In one five-minute stretch near the midway point of the opening half, a left-footed shot by Vance sailed just wide right, Valerie Stahl fired a shot over the top bar and the Seagulls couldn’t quite convert a corner kick dropped in nicely by Mackenzie Rochon.
Along with the Everett misfires there were three saves by Arlington’s Parlin, which foiled the Seagulls through the first 40 minutes.
“It was a little bit frustrating, but the fact we were getting some shots was nice,” Pitharoulis said. “Making those opportunities is half the battle.
“Putting them in is the other half.
“But, we attacked well and defended very well.”
“We’ve played 240 minutes against Everett and I think we have six shots on frame,” Davis said. “We just have trouble attacking them.”
But, how far as Arlington come after last season’s 0-15-1 record?
“We’ve come a long way from last year,” said. “It’s the same kids, they just grew up. You don’t get a break in the Wesco North, but that helped us up there against Squalicum.”
At Edmonds Stadium
Goals-Everett: Peebler. Assists-Everett: Rife. Goalies-Arlington: Parlin. Everett: Brinster. Records-Everett 10-5-3 overall. Arlington 3-10-5.
Shorecrest 1, Mount Vernon 0: At Edmonds, Gina Adams scored from point-blank range on a crossing pass from Cora Speidel in the 55th minute to lift Shorecrest to victory in the 3A District 1 playoff game.
At Edmonds Stadium
Goals-Shorecrest: Adams. Assists-Shorecrest: Speidel. Goalies-Mount Vernon: Ridenour, Malone. Shorecrest: Towles. Records-Mount Vernon 11-5 overall. Shorecrest 12-5-1.
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