Strong defense and steady goalkeeping have been central to the Shorecrest High School girls soccer team’s success this fall.
Especially during the Scots’ playoff run.
Shorecrest hasn’t allowed a goal this postseason and takes a 450-minute shutout streak into this weekend’s Class 3A state final four at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
The fourth-seeded Scots face unbeaten top-seeded Bellevue at 3 p.m. Friday in the 3A state semifinals. The winner advances to face either seventh-seeded Roosevelt or 11th-seeded Seattle Prep in the 3A state championship match at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Shorecrest (18-1-1) has outscored opponents 62-5 this year, having yielded just five goals in 20 matches. The Scots haven’t surrendered multiple goals in a match all season.
The last goal Shorecrest allowed came during a 1-1 draw with Shorewood in its Oct. 24 regular-season finale. Since then, the Wesco 3A/2A champion Scots have recorded five consecutive postseason shutouts.
Shorecrest blanked all three of its 3A District 1 Tournament opponents, including a 2-0 triumph over Shorewood in the district championship match.
The Scots then added a pair of shutouts in the state tournament, with a 1-0 round-of-16 win over 13th-seeded Lake Washington and a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Peninsula.
Shorecrest’s defensive success has been a joint effort between its stingy back line and strong goalkeeping from junior Tatiana Zahajko, who made eight saves in the Scots’ state opener and five in their state quarterfinal.
Up front, Shorecrest features a balanced attack that averages 3.1 goals per match.
Senior forward Ava Jensen has scored a team-high 13 goals, followed by fellow senior forward Nora Patterson with 11.
Junior midfielder Tayvi Khann has netted eight goals, highlighted by a hat trick in the state quarterfinal. Junior forward Emma Orthel has added seven goals, including four in the postseason.
Junior forward Taylor Christensen and sophomore midfielder Cambria Metcalf-Lindenburger have also provided seven goals apiece, giving the Scots six players with at least seven goals.
This is Shorecrest’s first state semifinal appearance since 2014, when it made a run to the 2A state championship match. The Scots’ last 3A state semifinal trip was in 2008.
Bellevue (18-0), which claimed the 3A state title in 2016, is making its sixth state semifinal appearance in the past nine postseasons.
Roosevelt (15-4-2) is in the state semifinals for just the third time in program history and the first time since reaching the 4A state championship match in 2000.
Seattle Prep (11-4-6), last year’s 3A state runner-up, is making its second consecutive state semifinal trip.
Metro League rivals Roosevelt and Seattle Prep are squaring off for the fourth time this season. Roosevelt is 2-0-1 in their other three matchups.
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